Legacy of Camp Half-Blood - The Dawn
by celestia193
Summary: A decade and a half after the BoO, our favorite heroes are all grown up, and married...with kids. That's right, kids. Follow Ciara Jackson as her normal twelve year old life gets turned upside down when she nearly destroys the plumbing because of one of her mom's silly pranks. I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, or any characters not created by me.
1. An After-School Scare

**I've reworked Chapter 1 a little, so hopefully it flows a little better than before.**

 **Oh, and just a warning, flames will be fed to Leo.**

* * *

I've spent the last twelve years growing up with a fairly normal life. I go to school near the house that me and my parents live in in upper east-side Manhattan, play some sports, and get decent enough grades. I don't cause trouble, even though it seems to find me on a regular basis.

My graduation from the sixth grade ended less than half an hour ago, which means I have a whole summer vacation ahead of me to enjoy. Sweet, sweet freedom for a whole two and a half months. No teachers, no classmates, no high school students coming around to pick on us. Just me and pure freedom. Which probably means getting shipped off to Grandma's house for another summer.

Little do I know that my world is about to be turned upside down in every possible way.

My name is Ciara Jackson.

* * *

I walk up the steps to my house and open the door quietly. I hang my backpack up on the hook by the door and wipe my shoes on the rug. "Hey Mom, I'm home!" She's usually at home whenever she's not out doing one of her big architectural projects, which means that she'll probably be in the kitchen, since she doesn't trust Dad around dangerous appliances.

When I get no response, I poke my head into the kitchen. "Is anyone around?" I don't see anyone, which is weird, since Mom usually tells me and Dad whenever she's going to be leaving early or heading to another state.

Suddenly, I feel a tap on my shoulder, so I turn around and see a gruesome and terrible bronze face. I scream at the top of my lungs and drop to the floor, hugging my knees to my chest. _Not again..._ My breath comes in short, shallow pants

Water splashes onto the floor from the kitchen sink and I can see water coming down the hallway from the bathroom. It's everywhere, there's water everywhere. I hear fast footsteps downstairs, then coming up the stairs.

"Honey, it's okay! It's just a mask." She pats my back soothingly, rocking me slightly. "Just breathe, in and out, in and out. Slowly..." It's been a while since the last time I had an episode, so it's no wonder that maybe we would think that I'd finally gotten over these damn anxiety attacks.

Between breaths, I gasp out. "Mom! What's happening? Why is there water everywhere?" Despite my efforts to calm myself down, I'm risking having a second panic attack on top of the first one. But I just can't seem to close my eyes.

Mom's eyes widen as she takes in the scene around us. She yells down the hallway. "Percy! Get in here now!"

Dad runs in and looks startled. "Did you break the plumbing with one of your experiments again?" He says that like it's a common occurrence. _Where was I when Mom was brekaing the plumbing!?_

"No, it just happened when I played a joke on her. She had another panic attack, but..." Mom looks at me like she is worried about something. " Then this happened. Do you think she could be like you?"

Dad kneels on the floor and pries my arms from around my knees. "Sweetie, why don't you stand up and dry off?"

I tremble a little as I stand up, I grab a dish towel from the rack near the oven and go to dab some water off of my jeans. While dabbing, I realize that my jeans aren't even damp. _What...? But that's..._ I'm shocked by the impossibility of the situation. I had been sitting in three inch water, but my jeans and shoes don't seem wet at all.

"What the hell is going on? I'm dry." I drop the towel and it floats on the water until it soaks up enough water to float down to the floor. "Why am I dry!?"

Dad looks at me with a pained expression. "There is something I haven't told you. You never showed any signs of power, so I thought that telling you would just make you uncomfortable." He looks at Mom and she nods, so he holds my hands and looks me in the eyes. "You made the water spray everywhere when you got scared. It happened to me when I was your age, and there were even some incidents going back to when I was about three years old. Since you never showed any signs until now, I thought that you hadn't inherited any powers from me, but this incident changes things. Listen very carefully while I say this. You are not entirely human."

I shake my head in alarm. "What do you mean not human? I'm human, I have to be! Just look at me! I have normal colored skin, eyes and hair. I don't have any spikes or weird boils, no scales and nothing remotely unhuman. So what the hell do you mean I'm not human?"

Dad breathes in and out slowly. "I didn't say that you were an alien, just not entirely human. I want you to watch carefully." He stands up and stares at the water. With a wave of his hand, the water swirls into the air and down the sink. The floor dries and when he touches the towel, it dries too, then he hangs it on its rack.

"How did you do that?" I feel shivers go up and down my spine, making me shake.

"Let's go see your grandpa, I think that you will understand once you meet him." Mom suggests. "Percy, go start up the car."

Dad nods and walks out the door first. Mom gets me a jacket and coaxes me out the door. She seems a little tense, but I feel so confused and overwhelmed by this afternoon that I barely remember getting into the car, or even most of the drive.

* * *

The next thing I know, Mom and Dad are leading me up the steps of the Empire State Building. Being here confuses me even more. "What are we doing here? What does any of this have to do with the Empire State Building?"

Dad shakes his head. "Not here, not where people can hear us."

He nods his head at the guy working the security desk, then leads the way past metal detectors to a large bronze elevator. He makes sure all three of us are inside before closing the doors and producing a keycard. He pushes the keycard into a hidden slot below the floor buttons. A Greek letter, an omega, flashes on the screen and the elevator whirs into motion.

For a minute, I feel like I'm going to be sick. Not panic attack kind of sick, but turbulence in an airplane kind of sick. Not that I've ever been in an airplane before. But some of my classmates have described the feeling to me.

The elevator is moving so fast that the numbers indicating the floor are whizzing by at ten every second. Soon, the flashing numbers turn back into an omega and the doors open.


	2. Child of the Sea

"Come on, the throne room is this way." Dad takes my hand and leads me out of the elevator and up a few sets of stairs.

As we walk up staircases that lead through terraces, I can see gardens and marble statues and huge temples, straight out of a book on Ancient Greece. I can hear music and laughter, but I can't tell where it's coming from. Birds fly from roof to roof and tree to tree, bees buzz around the flowers, and I suddenly see a man with the legs of a goat run by with pan pipes.

"Dad, what was that thing?"

He squeezes my hand and starts to walk a little faster. "That was a satyr, he is a nature spirit."

"We are almost there, don't worry Ciara." Mom smiles at me. "I'm sure that your grandparents want to meet you too."

* * *

A huge building lies at the top of the stairs in front of us. Mom and Dad walk in front of me, so I walk behind Dad the whole way up the stairs. My legs start to hurt about halfway up the stairs, so I keep hold of Dad's hand to keep myself going. He doesn't seem to mind pulling me forward, probably because he can lift so much more than my weight.

At the top of the stairs, we enter a large white temple with thrones all around the room. There are twenty foot tall people in the chairs, twelve of them, and one young girl next to the fire pit in the middle. Dad and Mom seem comfortable among these huge people, which at least means that I'm in no immediate danger of being squished under someone's foot.

Mom steps up first to talk, and addresses a woman with black hair and stormy grey eyes, eyes just like Mom's. "Thank you for seeing us today, Mother. Percy and I have brought someone here for you and Lord Poseidon to see. Circumstances have changed quickly and drastically, forcing us to change our approach. Lord Poseidon will find this especially interesting." Mom looks back at us and nods to Dad.

Dad addresses a man with black hair and sea green eyes, eyes like Dad's, and eyes like mine. "Well, you know that Annabeth and I have a daughter, but that she showed none of the signs of a typical demigod. What caused our sudden visit was a sudden explosion of power from her that nearly ruined the plumbing."

The man slides forward in his chair. "Oh? The girl takes after you Percy? Well bring her out from behind you and let us see her."

Dad squeezes my hand and steps away from me, putting me in full view of the giant people. "Go on Ciara. That man is your grandfather, my dad, Poseidon, god of the sea, earthquakes, storms and horses. The lady your mom was talking to is your grandmother, her mom, Athena, goddess of wisdom, battle, arts, crafts and weaving."

My life has become a bad joke of Greek myths and supernatural powers. So I try to respond without losing my mind. "Um…uh…hi?"

The man, Poseidon, laughs. "She seems a little nervous."

"Well she should be, if a little girl isn't afraid of gods, then what does that say about mortal arrogance." A man on the male half of the room smirks at me. Just looking at him rubs me the wrong way. He wears a red shirt under a black leather jacket, black pants and big black biker boots. His sunglasses don't quite cover the scars on his face. "Well girl, what do you have to say for yourself?"

A lady with piled blonde hair scoffs at the biker guy. "Don't go trying to scare her, she must be very upset and trying to understand which way is up and which is down."

A blond man with a smile brighter than a flashlight talks next. "Well she seems to be handling it well, she hasn't fainted yet."

A girl about my age with brown hair like mine but eyes like the full moon pipes up. "Well she seems quite sweet and cute, though that might not be good for a demigod. Her life will be quite dangerous."

Soon, all of them are talking and discussing, which drives me crazy and makes my patience snap. So I yell and get their attention. "What the hell is going on here!?"

The chatter stops, only to be replaced by a few whispers and some raised eyebrows. So the man on the throne in the middle speaks above all the noise.

"Silence!" The noise in the hall dies and he continues to speak. "As for the question posed by the child. It would be best answered by Chiron, so take her to see him, we have no time to be entertaining children."

"Oh Zeus, don't be so cold to the girl, she has been thrown into this world with no warning, and she has already had an unfortunate incident." Poseidon stands and shrinks to human size, although still a little taller than Dad. "She needs some help and I intend to make sure she gets it."

Poseidon comes close and leans down to look at me. He brushes my hair out of my eyes and smiles at me. "You may have the green eyes that my children usually have, but your hair is definitely Sally's." He turns to Dad. "Don't you think so Percy? Her hair is just like your mother's when she was young, and just as curly." He turns back to me. "So I hear that you have my powers. Do you mind if I test you a little?"

I look at Dad, he nods encouragingly at me, so I nod shyly and take a quick breath. "Ok, I'll try to pass your tests."

* * *

Poseidon guides me out of the throne room and towards one of the gardens. He takes me to the back of the garden and to a large, low stone fountain. I take off my shoes and socks, roll up the hems of my jeans and jump into the cool water.

"Oh Ciara. Catch!" Poseidon shouts.

I turn to see what he plans to throw and see a wave coming down on my head. I throw my hands up and brace myself for the impact, but it never comes. I look up and see the wave frozen in place, like time stopped. I let my hands drop and the wave drops on top of me. I shake my head as if to shake water out of it, then realize that I'm dry. This is the second time today that I should be soaking wet, but instead, I'm dry.

"What just happened?" I look around in a panic, scared of whatever force stopped the water.

Poseidon smiles at me and pats me on the head. "That was you. And that's two tests passed. You can control water, and it doesn't make you wet unless you want it too. What I gathered from what Percy said, it seems that you managed to pull water out of the plumbing of your house when you were startled by your mother, Annabeth."

I nod. "It was right after she scared me that the water shot out of the sink and toilet. There was water everywhere but it didn't get me wet even though I was sitting on the floor."

"It reacts to your emotions. You will find that your emotions are your greatest weapon. They give you access to reserves of power that you don't even know you have until you tap them for the first time."

I stare at my hands in amazement. "How can I even do this, it's like a magic skill in video games."

He puts his hand on my shoulder and points to the statue in the middle of the fountain. "Try to make water come out of that. Feel the power inside you and make it move the way you want it to go."

I stare at the fountain. The statue is of a water spout, frozen in stone. I stare at the fountain and imagine water flowing over the curves of the stone spout. I hear a slight gurgle from the fountain and a tugging in my stomach. A stream of water trickles out of the spout and pools before flowing down the crevices and into the basin at the bottom.

"Well done child, you have a talent for controlling water. Very good." Poseidon smiles and nods his approval. "Though you have never displayed any power before, not even once in twelve years? What about the occasional odd occurrence?"

I shake my head. "It just happened when Mom scared me with a bronze death mask."

Poseidon frowns slightly. "You reacted to fear and surprise. Perhaps the adrenaline brought latent power to the forefront." His frown turns into a laughing smile. "My son Percy…he was a troubled child. He was expelled from almost every school he attended, until he finally got it together in high school. It was because his abilities got him into trouble, even though he didn't understand what was happening until he was your age."

"He was my age when he first used these powers?"

"No, that was when he was finally brought to Camp Half Blood. A place for demigods to live and learn to survive. And now that you know what you are, your scent will be stronger, attracting monsters to you. They have left you alone most likely because your parents had fortified your home and placed satyrs and other demigods around you for protection. An example would be your gym teacher Mrs. Rodriguez, she is a counselor at the camp."

My mouth hangs open. "My mean old gym teacher is a demigod?" I shiver at the thought of my parents placing a mean old bag like her there for my protection.

"As is your music teacher, the student counselor is a satyr. Your family doctor is a retired counselor from the camp."

"Wait a minute." I try to piece things together. "Did you say that Mr. Underwood is a satyr?"

"That's right!"

I spin around in alarm at the new voice and manage to trip into the fountain. I nearly smack my head against the stone statue, but a hand grabs mine and pulls me back out of the fountain. The ginger haired counselor from my school is standing in front of me. And he has no pants.

I stare at his legs in shock. "Mr. Underwood, you have goat legs."

Mr. Underwood nods and smile. "I'm a satyr, so of course I have goat legs."

"Oh." And that is about all I can say, because I feel like my world is turning at the speed and orientation of a gyroscope.

"And now that you've met me out of school, you can call me Grover. I'm your dad's best friend."

"Wait a minute, slow down. You're Dad's best friend, a satyr, and a counselor at my school. And what is all this about a camp?" I quickly busy myself with pulling my socks back on and tying my shoes.

Grover grins at me. "We can get to that later." He turns to Poseidon and bows. "Lord Poseidon, Lady Athena wishes to have a moment with Ciara here."

"Of course." Poseidon waves it off. "I have monopolized my adorable granddaughter long enough. I take it that you will be part of the escort?"

"Yes sir. And will you be sending Tyson along later to assess her?"

Poseidon nods. "Of course, and since she seems to take after her father and grandmother, equipping her should be relatively simple."

"Alright!" Grover picks me up and tosses me over his shoulder. "You are coming with me little lady. Lady Athena wants to see you before we cart you off to camp."

* * *

Instead of struggling, I decide to just enjoy the trip over to a grove of olive trees. That black haired lady, Athena, is standing there with an owl sitting on her arm.

"Lady Athena, I have your granddaughter here." Grover puts me down gently and backs away to leave me with Athena.

"So, you have finally made your way here." Her eyes pierce right through me, so I strengthen my guard, keeping my expression as calm as possible. And at that, Athena produces a small smile. "And you have a strong will, very good."

"And what is it that you want to see me do?" I look at her with a slightly defiant smile. "I've jumped through one set of hoops, do you have a set for me as well?"

"Indeed I do." Athena turns to a small table and gestures to it. "Let's sit down." The both of us sit down at the small white table. She hands me a box and watches me carefully. "Open it."

I look at her for a few seconds, then decide that her request is serious. So I turn my attention to the box. It has grooves all over it, some are deeper, some shallower. I turn the box over and over, seeing if any of the grooves runs deeper than the others. I find that there is an indented area, so I press it, opening a hatch that reveals block pieces with a ton of hinges. I unfold the pieces and stack them into the shape of a foot and a half square crate. Every movement shows me a handful of possible movements that could follow.

"Does this count as open? I turned it into an open box instead of a closed one, but it has no lid, so does that technically make it open"

Athena nods with approval. "Yes, you have done well. My own children, as well as children of Hephaestus enjoy puzzles like those, though you solved it quite quickly."

"Are you done testing her Mother?"

I twist around and see Mom walking towards us. "Mom! I solved a puzzle!"

I show her the puzzle and she smiles. "Oh, I remember this one. She made me solve it when I was ten. It took me ten minutes to figure out how to work it. How long did it take you?"

"Um…" I actually have no idea how long I've been working on the puzzle, it seems like I was working on it forever, but when I look at Athena, her eyes gleam.

"Seven minutes. You finished that puzzle faster than your mother."

Mom looks thrilled. "That's amazing." Then she touches my shoulder. "Chiron knows to expect her, so we'll be leaving for the camp soon."

Athena nods. "Of course. She has jumped through my hoops." She smiles faintly at me. "Keep an eye on her as she grows up."

"Of course." Mom agrees. "Come on now Ciara, it's time to show you were Percy and I got our training." She guides me away from the temples and back to the elevator.

We listen to weird elevator music the whole way down, frankly it should be replaced since it's like fifty years old, but obviously no one has gotten around to it. We walk right out the front door as though we were just a normal family who went up to the top to have a nice look around. Mom loads me into the back seat of the car and we take off towards the east, towards Long Island.


	3. Welcome to Cabin Three

The countryside rushes by as Dad drives us into what seems like the middle of nowhere. I see a sign that says Delphi Strawberry Farm, which seems odd to me because I've never heard of a strawberry farm like that.

"That's the cover name for the camp." Mom turns back to look at me. "It's so mortals don't go getting any strange ideas about exploring."

"Does that happen often?"

Dad shakes his head. "Nah, there is only a couple of incidents a summer. Most that approach the camp are either demigods or monsters. And the monsters don't last very long since they make for good target practice."

The thought of using monster as target practice seems scary and fun at the same time. "So what kind of weapons to you use against the monsters?"

Mom looks like she I looking at an inventory list. "Bows, swords, spears, javelins, explosives, maces, catapults, ballistae, and sometimes the occasional firearm."

"Do people fight each other?"

"Yeah, in the sword fighting arena." Dad grins, which I can see through the rear view mirror. "In fact, I happen to be one of the instructors. I teach the most advanced class, mostly comprised of particularly talented fighters. Those campers need special attention, otherwise they are liable to seriously injure someone. In fact, one of the campers that I teach is a son of Zeus, and he has a particular talent for very complex maneuvers. Unfortunately, it also means that he doesn't have many choices for practice partners, so he often has to ask a favor from one of the cabins, and have a group come at him all at once."

"So this is why you always send me to Grandma's house for the summer?" Every summer since I can remember, I spend it with my Dad's parents. Sure my grandparents are nice, but hanging out with them every single summer get boring.

Dad slows down the car and pulls into a parking lot. "Yes, it's a good way to make sure you are well taken care of, while giving us a summer break so that we can fulfill our duties as camp counselors. Now I want you to go with your mother. She is going to show you two cabins, and you can choose whichever one you like more. I have to go talk with Chiron and tell him about this development."

Mom hops out of the car and opens my door. "Come on sweetie, there is nothing to be afraid of. Except maybe Peleus, but just avoid the dragon and you should be fine."

"Dragon, okay. Every summer camp needs one of those." I get out of the car and see what she means. On a nearby hill, curled around a tall pine tree, is a dragon. "So…don't try to pet it."

Mom smiles. "Not yet, once he gets used to you it will be fine." She takes my hand and walks me up the hill in front of us, straight through a gate that reminds me of typical summer camp brochures.

* * *

What I see from the top of the hill is incredible. I see a lake, with a creek flowing into it, a beach over to the east side. Directly in front of us are huge strawberry fields, which I guess supports the cover for the camp. Beyond the fields are lots of buildings. And old fashioned amphitheater, a tall sky blue house, a Greek-looking open hall, basketball and volleyball courts, and the cabins, oh man look at those cabins.

Two made of white marble, one of grey stone, one covered in plants, one silver, one gold, one red with barbed wire, one a simple log cabin with huge proportions, a cabin with grapevines, a giant barbie doll house, a factory looking place, and a simple grey building that looks almost like a laboratory. In another section of cabins, I see a pure black cabin, which stands out from all the other cabins in that section, and the others, I can't even begin to describe them.

"Come on, I want to show you the Athena cabin!" Mom lets go of my hand and start running down the hill, like she can't wait to see someone.

I chase Mom down the hill, sprinting until we finally reach the cabins area. The grey laboratory looking building is the cabin she points me towards. "Go on, take a look inside and tell me what you think."

Still out of breath, I open the door and see a workshop. Bunk-beds pressed against the walls, and workbenches all over the place, with schematics and a random assortment of pretty much anything I can think of.

"Wow, this place is cramped."

Mom laughs. "A bit, but that's how the geniuses of the camp like to work."

"Hey Annabeth!"

A boy with black hair and grey eyes calls over from one of the benches. "I have a new design I want to show you! Oh…" He notices me next to my mom. "New camper?"

Mom nods. "Keep it a secret for now, I'm showing her around before she picks which cabin she wants to stay in."

The boy looks confused. "Picks?"

Mom presses a finger to her lips. "She isn't a normal demigod. She doesn't have a godly parent." Then she hugs me and gives me a kiss on the forehead.

"Mom! Stop that, I'm not five!" I try to swat her hands away, but it's hard to do that when your parents are so much taller than you.

The boy's eyes widen. "She's your-? Does that mean that she gets to pick between Athena and Poseidon?"

Mom laughs again. "We shall see. Come on Ciara, let's go see your dad's cabin now. Oh and Otis, keep this a secret for now, we want to make the big announcement later."

The boy nods furiously as we step out of the cabin. Mom guides me next to the cabin I saw earlier, the one made of grey stone. As I approach the cabin, I can smell salt air and sea flowers. I run up to the cabin and poke my head inside.

The inside is amazing. The walls shine with abalone, the beds have green sheets, bronze seahorses, dolphins and fish hang from the ceiling. A saltwater spring gurgles in the back, though I don't quite understand how I know that it's saltwater instead of freshwater. I run inside and jump onto the nearest bed.

"Is this Dad's cabin?" I roll around in the sheets and enjoy the smell of the ocean.

"Yes it is, and it seems that you know which cabin you like better." Mom smiles at me and nods. "You really are a daddy's girl, you even stuck your head in the same way that he did when he first arrived here."

"I like this cabin, it makes me feel good." I suddenly feel tired. "Sleepy…" And the next thing I know, I'm asleep.

I wake up late in the day. I can tell the time because the sky is starting to turn orange. Then I notice that Dad is sitting on the bed opposite the one I crashed on.

"And good morning to you." His smile is different from Mom's. Hers is playful, whereas his is warm and calming. "The campfire is starting, do you want to go check it out?"

I jump off the bed and land perfectly on my feet. "Is the campfire fun?"

"Yeah, they sing and sometimes dance. They tell ghost stories sometimes, though Nico has the title of King of Ghost Stories. Fitting, considering he is a son of Hades." Dad stands up and ruffles my hair. "Let's go."

* * *

Dad leads me down another hill, straight to a huge fire pit. I mean I've seen old shows like Survivor and stuff, but their campfires were never this size. Or this color. The flames reach over ten feet high and are bright yellow. And I don't mean the yellowy orange of normal campfires, I mean yellow as in the color of a lemon.

"Sit down wherever you like, I'm going to go sit with your mother." Dad smiles as though he knows how attentive and annoying Mom has been.

I sit next to a boy with golden blond hair and a bright smile. He has a guitar next to him and seems to be a bit of an artsy type. He looks friendly enough, but I feel a little too shy to strike up a conversation with him. Thankfully, I don't have to. The boy turns to me and leans in so that I can hear him. "You a new camper?"

"Yeah, I just got the tour. Well I got the tour earlier then I fell asleep in my cabin." A smile passes over my face at the thought of my strange talent for falling asleep instantly.

His eyes widen. "You have a cabin already? That's rare for a brand new camper. So who is your parent? Athena? Aphrodite? Demeter? You don't seem to be a Nike or Nemesis." The fact that he asks if I'm an Aphrodite camper makes me feel weird, since I know that Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty.

"Attention campers!" A man with the lower body of a horse calls for everyone's attention.

"Oh!" He looks at me and grins. "I guess it's time for Chiron's announcements. By the way, I'm Sam Oak, son of Apollo. I'm one of the camp's healers."

I don't even have time to nod before the horse guy, Chiron, starts his announcements. "As you know, this is the first day of the summer portion of the camp, and we have several new faces. One of which, will be introduced-"

Suddenly he stops talking and everyone stares at me. Mouths open wide, and lots of people look shocked or confused.

"Hey Sam, why are they looking at me?" I turn to Sam and see him staring at something above my head.

I look straight up and see two orbs of light. One is silver, with the image of an owl, the other is green, with a three tipped spear, a trident. They glow brightly, then fade, leaving impressions of them seared into my retinas.

"Eh-hem, as I was saying, one of which will be introduced shortly." Chiron turns to me and looks at me as though analyzing my potential. "Ciara is a new camper here. We were not expecting her because we were unsure of whether or not there was a need for it. But because of a certain incident, she will be joining us from now on. As for the matter of the two symbols claiming her, unexpected as it is, is because she has no godly parent, rather she is the daughter of two half-bloods you all know very well. And she has chosen to join Percy in the Poseidon cabin. So welcome to you, Ciara Jackson."

I turn so red after that excessive introduction that I bury my face in my arms while Chiron continues on with the announcements. I hate standing out, and now everyone is going to be looking at me like some kind of mutant freak. By looking at the average age of the campers, I can tell that most of them aren't old enough to be having kids, which of course makes me all the stranger.

Sam pokes me in the shoulder. "Wow, that is so cool! Percy is one of the best teachers here, and everyone has heard the stories about the quests he's gone on."

I lift my head up and stare at him with astonishment. "You really think my dad is cool?"

Sam nods. "He is one of the most respected demigods in the camp. Though we always hope that he will stay year round with us. Well, I guess now we know why he can't. But that is so awesome, you must have cool powers just like him if you picked the Poseidon cabin."

"If you call almost destroying the plumbing when Mom scared me with a bronze death mask 'cool powers', then yes."

Sam's eyes light up. "Yeah, that counts. I heard that Percy had so many problems when he was our age, like that fountain incident when he accidentally made the water in a fountain grab one of his classmates. She totally deserved it though, she kept bullying him and Grover." Then he looks like he has a revelation. "Oh, and since you have some Athena blood in you, you might actually be a decent archer. Your dad can't shoot at all, but most Athena kids are pretty good with a bow. I can teach you, I'm one of the best rapid loaders in camp."

"Rapid loader?"

"Basically I can fire off an entire quiver of arrows quickly and without stopping. Most of my shots are bulls-eyes as well."

My eyes widen. "Oh wow, you use real arrows?"

Sam giggles a little. "Yeah, normal rules get thrown out the window here. Everyone is allowed to learn to use deadly weapons here. I guess that makes it a little different than most summer camps."

"No kidding." I feel a bit bewildered, but excited too. "In that case, I would love to learn to shoot a bow."

Sam nods and smiles. "Then meet me out at the archery range tomorrow afternoon. I have a masters' archery class tomorrow, Chiron teaches it. It's mostly my siblings in the Apollo cabin, but there are a few from the Ares and Athena cabins, plus the odd demigod from various other cabins."

"So my dad can't shoot? What's with that?"

"Typically, children of the Big Three, make very bad archers. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades' children have no talent for archery. Apollo is the god of archery, so his children are obviously the best archers. Athena is a goddess of battle, so her children are proficient with most weapons, and children of Ares can handle any weapon with ease. Other than that, demigods can have varying degrees of talent for the weapon. Since you have some of Athena's blood, you might be able to learn archery. On the other hand, Poseidon's blood might run thicker, and you could end up shooting me instead of the target."

I feel something drop in my stomach. "Are you sure you want to teach me? I could end up turning you into a shish-kebab."

"Well, I have faith that you won't be nearly as bad a shot as your dad. He tried to learn once and ended up shooting Chiron's tail."

Knowing that my dad used to screw up like that makes me feel good, since now I can learn all the secrets that will get him and Mom off my back. And every kid my age needs that kind of leverage once in a while.

Dad comes over after a while, and I notice that people are trailing away from the campfire. "Alright sweetie, it's time for bed." He ruffles my hair as I rub my eyes. "I'm sure that you're tired after such a busy day." Then he nods at Sam. "Thank you for hanging out with her, I hope that she's made a friend today."

Sam smiles brightly. "I hope so too. Oh, and I'll be teaching her archery tomorrow, to see if she has the talent for it."

"Thanks." Dad picks me up and brings me back to the cabin, tucking me in bed and setting a bronze mobile, with some kind of creatures hanging from it, to twirl over my head. And the soft chiming of the bronze, as well as the gurgling of the fountain in the back put me to sleep quickly.


	4. The Sea Forge

When I wake up in the morning, I find a pure black winged horse waiting outside the door. I blink a few times to make sure that I'm not dreaming.

 _Hiya little one, you have a visitor waiting._

I shake my head and look around. The voice had to come from somewhere, so I look for a source of the voice.

 _Why are you looking around? I'm right in front of you little one._

I stare at the black horse. "Are you talking?"

 _Yes ma'am, my name is Blackjack. Me and your dad go way back. Been in more life threatening situations together than you've had birthdays._

I blink quickly and try to come to terms with being able to talk with a horse. Since there are no horses in Manhattan, I've never had the chance to discover this little talent. Since he sounds friendly, and I can tell that he isn't lying, I agree to go with him. I climb onto his back, right behind the wing joints, and he takes off into the air.

 _Some of my aquatic friends asked me to bring you to them, they said that they were sent to fetch you for an armor fitting._

"An armor fitting?" Then I remember what Poseidon said. "Oh, it must be that they want to size me up for weapons and armor. Poseidon talked a bit about that with Grover."

 _Outfitting you with some dangerous toys already? Nice. I bet your dad is gonna be real proud._

He flies me over the trees, all the way to the beach. I dismount and walk through the sand to where a group of half horse, half fish creatures are swimming. I wade into the water and one of them comes up to me.

 _His lordship has asked us to bring you to him._ The creature bumps against my side. _I will take you there safely._

I climb onto the creature and twirl my hands into his mane. "What is your name?"

 _My name is Ithas, I am a hippocampus._

I have never heard of a hippocampus before, but knowing his name makes me feel better. "Alright Ithas, please take me to my grandfather."

Ithas whinnies and dives into the water. The water hits me like a wall of cold energy. At first I wonder how exactly I'm supposed to breathe, so I hold my breath as long as possible.

 _Ithas, how much longer are we going to be underwater?_

 _About ten more minutes, is there something wrong?_

Ten minutes is too long for me to hold my breath, and from what I can see, we are only getting deeper. But my vision starts to go weird, everything is blue, red, yellow, orange, purple and white, like a thermal camera. I gasp in surprise, then notice all of my air leaving my mouth.

Just as I think that I'm about to drown, I take in a breath and find that I can breathe underwater. _Ithas! Why can I breathe underwater?_

Ithas sounds confused. _You're Lord Poseidon's granddaughter aren't you? Breathing underwater is normal for his children._

 _Oh._ I feel a little stupid for not realizing that earlier. Poseidon is the god of the sea, so of course breathing underwater should come with the set of skills his children have.

* * *

As the pressure increases, I realize that I should be dead at this depth. It must be another trait from Dad, the ability to withstand huge amounts of pressure. I see a large structure ahead, a palace under the ocean. Ithas speeds up briefly, then slows down as we enter a cave.

We break the surface and Ithas wriggles out from under me, disappearing back into the water. I climb up onto the rocks of this underwater cave, finding myself completely dry once I leave the water. I can hear the sounds of clanging metal ahead, so I climb over the rocks until I find a neat path leading deeper into the cave. I follow the path until I see a well-lit area, full of old fashioned forges, and dozens of large, one eyed beings. This is one of the Cyclops forges.

I try to make my way through the forge, but there are so many huge bodies that I nearly get crushed a few times. This place seems like it's going to be bad for my health, so I look around to see where my grandfather might be standing.

Suddenly, I find myself being picked up by the collar of my jacket, and a voice booms in my ear. "What are you doing here small one?"

Suddenly, I find myself face to face with a Cyclops, so I decide to just be blunt. "Gramps called for me, I'm supposed to be outfitted with armor and stuff. Now, can you put me down?"

Before the Cyclops has the chance to put me down, another giant hand plucks me from the grasp of the Cyclops. Turning, to face this one, it's another Cyclops. This one has a soft brown eye, messy brown hair, and a big smile. "Hello Percy's daughter. I am your uncle, Tyson." He sits me on his shoulder and attaches me to the top of his shirt with a large strap. "Come now. We will get you some armor. Dad wants to see you."

He walks through the forge, the other Cyclopes move out of the way to let him pass unhindered. And at the far end of the forge, next to a creature with so many arms that I feel dizzy, is Poseidon. It looks like he is placing an order for a weapon, and giving specifics to the smith.

Poseidon notices us and smiles up at me. "It seems as though you have made it here unscathed. Very good, shall we get started?"

Tyson unstraps me and puts me on the floor. "I made five sets of armor, all different styles. We will find a perfect fit for her." He smiles at me again. "Come on, time for a fashion show."

They bring me to a hidden room in the back, a large atrium like room. And like Tyson said, there are five sets of armor on mannequins about my size. One has Greek bronze armor that looks quite heavy, another has what looks like medieval steel armor, one is a Kevlar type armor that the military uses. Finally, I look into one corner and see the last two mannequins. The one on the left has thin silver armor that doesn't look like it could take more than two slashes with a weapon. The one on the right has full body leather armor, including boots, leather covered cloth pants, and a thick cloth hood.

Poseidon notes my attention from next to Tyson. "It seems as though she prefers the lighter armors. What do you think Tyson? Do you want to see her try them on? Or do you want to make some alterations first?"

I look back at Tyson, and I see a pensive look on his face. "I think that she should wear both. The leather armor is good for stealth, and the titanium armor is good for battle."

The silver armor now makes sense. While still thin, the metal is strong and flexible. And it should only be needed to deflect glancing blows, since piercing blows would seriously damage any plate armor, no matter what material it is made from. "I like both of them, but they seem a bit too simple. Light armor is good, but I will probably need lots of loops and buckles for holding weapons and tools. I want to be able to have at least a couple of knives on hand, plus a sword if possible, and maybe a bow."

Poseidon nods. "A prudent consideration. Light armor will be easy to move in, and will make up for the combined weight of whatever else you decide to carry. And a variety of weapons would indeed be a good idea, since we don't yet know what weapon will turn out to be your specialty. As for weapons, why don't you give Tyson a list of your choices? That way he can have them made, and make the alterations to the armor to allow for easy access."

Tyson nods. "I can make your armor better, with lots of sheaths and holsters for weapons. But there is one other problem. I don't know what kind of sword you want. Daggers and knives are easy because the standard types are widely used and easy to learn to fight with. Swords are much more complicated. They have to be the right length, the right weight, the right thickness. And depending on the fighting style, they can be curved or straight, sometimes even shaped oddly. So I need to see you hold a sword before I can decide what would suit you best."

I nod. "So are you going to just shove a sword into my hand and watch me swing it around? Because I can do that, I'm not afraid of sharp things."

Tyson nods, then walks to the door and sticks his head outside. He yells something incomprehensible, then sticks his arm out. He then comes back in, carrying a three foot long bronze sword. He hands it to me and nods encouragingly. "Try that."

I back up and swing the sword around. It feels balanced, but it doesn't feel right in my hand, the grip is too big. "Uncle Tyson, the sword doesn't fit in my hand properly. I'm more likely to drop this in a fight than stick it in something."

I hand the sword back and he nods. Then he sticks his head back out the door again, coming back in with a smaller sword. This one feels better in my hand, but the balance is off because the tip is too light. After handing it back, Tyson gives me another one. This time, the blade is too heavy, and I feel lopsided.

Poseidon looks frustrated. "I see that choosing a blade isn't very easy for her. Perhaps she needs a less conventional blade." Then his eyes light up. "Tyson, perhaps if you let her try out the prototype that you've been working on."

Tyson looks a bit alarmed, then looks carefully at me and nods. "It might be the only one for her, and it would solve all of the problems she has been having."

Tyson leaves the room this time, and comes back with a big stone case. He opens it up and I see a beautiful sword lying on a green cloth. The sword seems a bit oddly shaped, the hilt looks more like the hilt of a hunting knife. Tyson picks up the sword and hands it to me. "Try that. And there is a trick to it, so try to figure out what it is."

I take the sword and I immediately notice that it feels a bit heavy. The grip seems oddly shaped, and twice as thick as it should be, I can still grip it, but I need quite a bit more strength to wield it with a single hand. Twice as thick, twice as heavy. I look carefully at the hilt and see a button. I take the grip in both hands and squeeze my wrists together, clicking the button and separating the sword into two halves. The two swords feel balanced, and I can grip them well enough to swing them at different rates and in different directions, as though fighting two opponents.

I feel good with the blades, they balance well and I don't feel lopsided at all. "These are amazing, how did you make them?"

"Briares and I designed that sword, it is made of ocean steel, and it is lighter than mortal steel. The grips are meant to make it harder to lose your grip on the sword. And its ability to split into two is for versatility. It is a one of a kind magic item, but I haven't finished the design." Tyson takes hold of my wrists and moves my arms around. "I think you will make a good tester for this sword. I will adjust it and the armor and have the other weapons made. I will send them to you when they are finished."

Poseidon nods his approval and smiles. "Very good." He turns to me and puts his hand on my shoulder. "Now, it is time to send you home. Your new friend is probably going to have an interesting time teaching you how to use a bow."

I gasp in surprise. "Oh right, Sam is going to be waiting for me." I turn on the balls of my feet and sprint out of the room, through the forge, and back into the cave that I came in through.

 _Are you finished with his lordship?_

I look to the left and see Ithas floating up and down in the water. _Yes, we had a very productive discussion about weapons and armor. Tyson is going to make me a full arsenal, complete with stealth and battle armor._

 _Very good. Are you ready to go back to the camp now?_

 _Yes Ithas, I'm ready to go home._

I climb onto Ithas and we plunge into the cold water. The ride back seems much faster, since Ithas gives me a running commentary on every interesting rock formation or species of fish that we pass. And I soon notice the water becoming brighter, bright enough to see through to the surface.

* * *

We break the surface at the beach and I thank Ithas before he sinks back into the waves. I walk up onto the sand and notice that the sun is past its peak, which means that I was underwater for quite a while. So I make my way back to my cabin, to find my dad leaning against the door frame.

"So? Did it go well?" His smirk makes him look younger. "Did Tyson get to fawn over you?"

I grimace a little. "He picked me out of another Cyclops' hand and strapped me to his shoulder to make sure I didn't get trampled on my way in. Then he gave me a bunch of armor to choose from, and a bunch of swords to try out. We talked about weapons, and he said that he would start working on getting everything ready."

"Good, which means that all you have left to do now is get over to the archery field." His smile widens. "And I hope that you have more talent with a bow than I do, otherwise you'll end up having just as bad an accident."

I shoot him a smirk of my own. "I doubt that I'll shoot Chiron in the tail. Though I can't promise that Sam will escape unscathed."

His eyes widen. "Wait! How do you know about that?"

I stick my tongue out at him, then run off down the hill, heading for the archery field. I sprint past girls with pale skin and silky dresses, past the occupied basketball court, then past the lake. I nearly take a couple of tumbles, but I can't help being excited. I'm about to have my first real weapons lesson, and the best part is that I might get a friend out of it.


	5. The Son of Hades

I finally run over to the archery field, and I see something amazing. Since Chiron is there, the masters' archery class must still be in session. I see Sam step up to the marker with a full quiver. He raises his bow and bends his right arm over his head. Chiron lowers his hand and Sam starts shooting. He takes six of the arrows out of the quiver and loads each one while holding the others, shooting fast and very accurately. And within ten seconds, he manages to fire off a whole twelve arrows, and the pattern on the target is a very neat star.

"All right, that's enough for today." Chiron signals the end of the class as Sam jogs to the target to pull out all of his arrows. "For everyone who has not reserved a range for the next hour, I suggest that you clear the field." Then he catches sight of me and beckons me. "Over here Ciara, Sam is warmed up and ready for your lesson."

Everyone there looks at me, some more briefly than others. Most of them pack up their gear and leave the area, but a few of them stay and watch me walk up. Sam grins a bright smile and comes back with his quiver of arrows.

"So are you ready to get started?"

I nod enthusiastically. "Yeah, I just got back from an outfitting session with my uncle Tyson. With any luck I should have some armor and weapons soon. But in the meantime, I should get a start on this. So what are you going to teach me first?"

Sam pulls the bow out of the holster on his quiver and hands it to me. "Try holding that. You saw me firing right? Try to hold it like I did. Find a comfortable position, keep your elbow up, and make sure you can see past where the arrowhead will be."

I walk over to the range and hold up the bow, looking down the place where the arrow shaft would be. I pull back the string and keep my eyes on the bulls-eye. At first, my elbow hurts, so I raise it a bit higher. When that doesn't solve the problem, Sam takes my hand and moves it closer to my mouth, putting more of the pressure on my shoulder and back muscles, alleviating the discomfort in my elbow.

"Nicely done, you have a natural sense to correct yourself. That is a typical trait of Athena's children. Now why don't you try nocking an arrow and letting it fly."

I carefully relax the string, then pluck an arrow out of Sam's quiver. I draw the arrow against the string and adjust myself just like how Sam did. I can see that if the arrow flies straight, it will hit the center of the target, but something still feels wrong. I tilt the arrow up a little, aiming for the third ring, then feel the wind blow a little from my left. I tilt the bow along the third ring until it comes to rest in an east northeast position with regards to the target being a compass. I pull the string a little harder, then let the arrow fly.

The arrow flies through the air and smacks the target with a dull thud. Sam stares at the target with his mouth open. "How did you do that?" I look carefully at the target and see that I hit the very edge of the bulls-eye.

"Uh." I think quickly, but try not to sound too proud. "The wind was coming off the lake, so it was a cool breeze that would have knocked the arrow to the right. And since gravity would bring the arrow down a bit, I altered the course to try and make it hit despite the forces working against it." I shrug a little. "I guess I went too far to the left, I didn't make it into the center."

Sam shakes his head. "Well, I can see that you don't have your dad's bad luck when it comes to bows. But judging by how you pulled the bow, this style doesn't seem right for you." He takes his bow back and rummages in one of the archery trunks. He pulls out an oddly curved bow, kinda like one of those cartoon mustaches.

I raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Am I supposed to hang that on your face like a French guy?"

Sam bursts out laughing. "Ok, I know that it looks like a mustache, but hear me out. This is a Mongol style bow, it's used usually on horseback, which is why it's so much shorter than most other bows. The extra curves give it more power, and the string is a bit harder to draw. But overall, it should be a good bow for you, since you get along so well with the Pegasi. You are most likely to ride one of them into battle, which makes this bow an excellent weapon for you."

"Alright, let me see." I take the bow from him and immediately feel like it belongs in my hands. I pull the string back and nock an arrow. I look at the target and aim briefly. I let the arrow fly and it zooms through the air, hitting the center of the target with a much sharper thud.

Sam nods, as though he is impressed. "You have a lot of talent for this. Has your mom ever gotten you to hold a bow before?"

I shake my head at first, then stop. I start racking my brain and an image leaps into my mind. "Wait a minute, she did. Back when I was ten years old, she gave me a toy bow for my birthday. I played with it for three months before getting bored. I never touched it again after that."

Sam nods, as if everything makes sense now. "That explains why you seem to have more experience in aiming rather than in actually pulling a real bow. She must have been testing you, to see if you have any talent for it."

That confuses me. "Why? I was completely normal until she scared the shit out of me with that mask. So why would she have tested me to see how I could play with a toy bow?"

"Probably to see if you were more like her than Percy. But now it seems like you have a lot of both." Sam hands me a quiver of arrows and takes up his bow. "So, let's see how well you can compete with me." He looks over at a girl with honey colored hair. "Carmen, can you set the signal?" She hops over the fence and holds a scarf in her hand.

We each take a clean range, and we still have some spectators. Sam draws his bow and pauses, waiting for me to get ready. Once I feel like the position is right, I nod at him and he draws his bow as well. Carmen drops the scarf, and when it hits the ground, we each start firing.

Obviously I'm not as fast as Sam, and he far outstrips me in terms of speed, but when I finally finish firing off my twelve shots, I'm only fifteen seconds behind him, which is still pretty fast. Unfortunately, trying to keep up with him in speed only got me three shots in the center circle, the rest are spread out over the target.

Sam jogs over to me and nods. "For a first try, that is pretty amazing." The crowd starts muttering as well, and lots of shocked whispers glide past my ears. Then Sam grins. "Give me a week and I'll have you hitting faster and way more accurate. And when I'm done training you to hit the target, I'll get you started on shooting from the back of a Pegasus."

"Alright, then should I come here at the same time tomorrow?" I hand him back the bow and he puts it away.

Sam turns to me and smiles his brilliant smile. "I'll see you after my class then. And make sure to be ready for some blisters."

And so, I spend a whole week training with Sam for two hours a day. Each day, the spectators change, but eventually the numbers diminish, which makes me much more comfortable. And my progress is good, at least according to Sam. But I still feel as though something is missing.

After a blister inducing session with Sam, I grab a quick bite to eat and return to my cabin to find a huge package on my bed. I open it and find the leather armor, the steel armor, and a large pile of weapons, including the sword, knives, and a few little tricks that Tyson came up with. But I'm too tired to properly appreciate the gift. So I finish my food, put the box in a corner and snuggle under my blankets.

I wake up to the sound of Dad's breathing, and frankly, I don't want to entertain myself by pulling a shaving cream prank on him. So, with the package from Tyson finally here, I decide to give it a test run. I pull on the dark clothing, then I fasten the leather armor over the clothes. The leather bends nicely and I feel like I could just disappear into thin air. With the boots, greaves, bracers and body armor all made of the soft and flexible leather, they all hide various places to put weapons. So I hide about a dozen knives in my bracers, greaves and boots, I attach two daggers to my lower back, and the sword fits into a sheath on my upper back. I pull the hood up and sneak out of my cabin before Dad wakes up.

I run down to the arena, hoping to find an opponent to practice with, preferably someone from Mom's cabin, since they have some of the best warriors and I want to learn quickly. But to my dismay, the arena is empty.

"Hello?" Since I can't really see every single inch of the arena, there is always a chance that I overlooked someone sitting in a dark corner. But no one answers me.

I notice a piece of dark clothing sticking out from behind one of the weapon racks. So I tiptoe over to investigate. What I find is a surly looking boy, about a year older than me, with pale grey eyes, slightly tanned skin, and thick black hair that looks like he didn't bother to fix his bedhead. He has his sword on his lap, a four foot blade of pure black metal. I don't recognize him from the campfire, which means that he probably wasn't here last week. Meaning that he is either a new arrival, or more likely, a repeat camper who just got off school.

For the most part, he ignores me as I crouch down in front of him. And I don't like being ignored. "What are you doing sitting in a corner?"

He continues to ignore me, opting instead to shift his sword and start sharpening it. Being ignored is something that I'm rather used to, since most of the kids at school don't like me. They say that I'm a know it all, and they tease me about my parents not being normal. Somehow, someone found out from one of the guidance counselors that my parents are both dyslexic and ADHD, so they expect me to be a troublemaker too. But being ignored by this guy makes me madder than those dumb kids ever did.

I reach my arm behind me and grip my sword, pulling it from its sheath and letting it rest on the ground. Then I shove my face close to his and look straight into his eyes. "I need a practice partner. I'm sure that you have plenty of skill of your own, so would you please humor this newbie?"

His eyes shoot daggers at me, which means that I've succeeding in pricking a nerve. "Who the hell are you?"

I back up a little and smile. "Fight me, and I'll answer any questions you want to ask."

He continues to glare at me. "And if I say no, you'll just keep pestering me won't you?" He sighs and gets to his feet, revealing the black armor that was hidden by his hunched over position. "Go ahead and name whatever restrictions you like."

"Restrictions?" I'm confused at first, then understand his meaning. "Oh you mean like the rules of the fight." He nods, but stays silent, waiting for me to outline the rules. "Ok, then how about no head shots or neck shots, since neither of us has a helmet and I'm very new at this. I highly doubt that taking a shot to the neck and dying would be fun."

"How about abilities?"

I tilt my head and frown at him. That was the one thing I hadn't considered. The fact that he is asking means that he isn't from the Athena, Ares, Apollo or Hermes Cabins. From what Grover told me, those demigods don't have much in the way of particularly special abilities, other than an amazing affinity for weapons. Which means that this guy must be from one of the more dangerous cabins.

"Well?" He looks impatient. "I want to get this over with quickly, so name the restrictions on abilities."

I shake my head. "Go ahead with whatever you've got. I'm sure that my mom would encourage me to test myself against the unknown, for both practical experience and to keep my wits sharp."

He frowns, creasing the skin between his eyebrows. "Your mom? Are you an Athena kid?"

I smile coyly and shake my head. "Fight me, then I'll tell you who my mom is. But no, it isn't Athena." Though I smile to myself, because he isn't too far off.

"Fine." He nods. "What about you? Do you have any powers to use? If not, I'll keep mine to a minimum for a less devastating fight."

That comment makes me laugh. "I think I'll keep mine reined in for the most part. I don't need to go and have another accident like the one that brought me here."

He nods again and we walk to the center of the arena. His grey eyes watch me carefully, as through trying to read into my soul. But I'm determined to at least give him a bit of a challenge. He looks comfortable with his weapon, which means that I am likely outmatched in terms of experience. But if he doesn't have the kind of brain that I do, then I might not lose too quickly.

"Whenever you're ready." He says calmly.

Before deciding on my first strike, I quickly analyze him. Age is probably thirteen and a half. He seems to be about five foot one, a hundred and fifteen pounds, with about thirty pounds of armor, plus a ten pound sword. Of course, those are figures that take his most likely amount of training into account, thereby giving him a fair amount of muscle, and making him heavier than he looks. In any case, he is dressed for attacking power, not speed or defense.

I, on the other hand, am in about fifteen pounds of armor; weigh about ninety five pounds at four foot nine. Which means that he has twenty pounds and four inches on me, not very good for me if attack were what I was going for. But speed is going to be my ally, since all I have on me is a few knifes and the double sword. And my other allies are my gymnastics experience and the dabbling I've done in martial arts. Though it does help that Grover let me play with a fake sword in his office whenever I hid there from bullies.

With the comparison done, I strike at his left hand, the hand with the sword in it. For the sake of surprising him, I keep my sword together and wield it with two hands instead of splitting it in two and dual wielding it.

He blocks my strike and sends me spinning off to my right, leaving my back open. But with my focus on speed, I manage to block him vertically with an unconventional bit of improvisation. His sword slides off mine, then whips back up towards my right arm, which he has obviously noticed is my dominant hand.

I jump back and dodge the strike, then aim back with a strike of my own, trying to get around his sword and hit his hip. I manage to graze his armor, but he smacks my sword and it drops out of my hands. He points his sword at me, expecting me to surrender. Instead, I duck down and kick my sword away, giving me the chance to run around him and do a handspring, allowing me to pick up my sword and separate it into two before my feet even touch the ground.

His face twitches in obvious irritation, his eyes dart from my left sword to my right. And for some reason, he changes his stance, shifting his weight from his front foot to his back foot. I take advantage of his adjusting to position myself for advancing on him to direct two fast strikes at the hand holding his sword, only to find my foot slipping into a crevice.

With my foot stuck, he leisurely starts to close the fifteen foot gap. At first, I can't understand why there is a crevice here for me to get my foot stuck in. Then it hits me. This is part of his power, he made this crevice for me to get stuck in. That irritates me a little, so I decide to stop holding back so much. I concentrate briefly and hear the faint rushing of water.

He hesitates when he hears the growing noise, looking around in alarm. "What is that?"

I smile. "Me." Water rushes into the arena and fills the crevice, freeing my foot. The water overflows and the entire arena is filled with about four inches of water. "Well, I suppose you can try guessing at who I am. Especially with this new information."

I rush towards him on bits of hardened water and aim my two strikes quickly, using the water as a springboard to boost me an extra six inches into the air. He blocks one sword, but the other slides past his guard and I whack him on the hip, hard enough to hurt, but not hard enough to seriously injure him or damage his armor.

He stumbles back from the hit and slips, sending him crashing into the water, which soaks him from head to toe in seawater. His glare returns, more frightening than before. "Ugh, I should have known." He spits into the water. "A child of Poseidon. Did Will put you up to this? He has been pissing me off for ages, always talking about having a friendly fight. He just wants to prove that he's better than me. Like that's ever going to happen."

"What are you talking about?" I shake my head. "Who is Will? And why would you think that he put me up to this? I just wanted to come for a practice match, I was hoping to fight an Athena or Apollo camper. But you were the only one here. So shall we do introductions?"

He struggles to his feet, trying not to get sucked into the mud. "Sure, since you seem to be a brainless airhead." His glare hardens, like a mask of stone. "I am Kai, son of Hades. Don't come near me again." And without even bothering to let me introduce myself, he trudges off, covered in water and mud.

I let the water drain out of the arena, then sit down on the dried mud and start to cry. My mission to make friends here is going badly, only Sam actually wants to be my friend. And I've seen some of the looks other people give me. Often, its awe, which makes them feel distant, which makes me unable to approach them. Other times, like just now, it's hostility, probably stemming from jealously over my proximity to the camp's idol couple.

I drag myself out of the arena and return to my cabin to change. I take off the armor and put away all of the weapons, except for one dagger that I attach to my thigh. It's better to be safe than sorry, and I know that my mom would approve.

I want to be alone, so I make sure that no one is watching as I run off into the un-stocked part of the woods. Chiron showed me a map of the woods, noting which areas had monsters stocked in them and which didn't. And after memorizing the map, I know exactly where to go to be alone, but still stay safe.

Once I find a place by the creek to sit down, I let my tears flow. My life has been turned completely upside down in less than a week, and I feel like I'm having a mental breakdown. And even if I managed to avoid most of the bullying at school, I know that it isn't going to be as easy here, because now everyone knows who I am.


	6. Godfather

Suddenly, I hear grass being stepped on, so I spin around and fall off my log. My head hits the ground hard, someone rushes over to me and pulls me to my feet, keeping a hand on my shoulder to keep me from falling over.

"Are you okay Ciara?"

I look up into the face of this new person. He looks like he is in his early thirties, but it's hard to tell, with shaggy black hair, olive skin and dark eyes. His smile is kind, but there are faint creases between his eyebrows, indications that he has frowned a lot.

I shake my head. "I can't make any friends other than Sam. Everyone looks at me like they either want to put a spear through my head, or like they want me to get them an autograph from Mom or Dad. I hate it here." More tears stream down my cheeks. "And I just made someone really mad at me, because he thinks that someone else sent me to fight him."

The man nods. "You mean Kai don't you?"

I sniff and wipe my tears. "How do you know?"

He laughs a little, then pats my head. "Because that idiot came back into our cabin soaking wet and fuming about Will. Then he started ranting about an annoying little girl with the powers of Poseidon. It didn't take me long to figure out that he had somehow ended up fighting Percy's daughter. Ah!" He lets go of me and sits me back down on the log. "By the way, I'm a friend of your parents. My name is Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades, and counselor for the Hades cabin. And Kai is my little half-brother."

I look up at him with wide eyes. "So you're Mr. Di Angelo? I've never heard them mention you."

His face wrinkles up a bit as he tries to control his laughter. "That's a first, most people just call me Nico. And of course they haven't mentioned me. I'm guessing that before you got here, they hadn't told you anything about this camp or your Olympian heritage."

I nod. "I just got thrown into all of this after I almost destroyed the plumbing in the apartment. It was Mom's fault though, she scared me."

Nico smiles brightly, which looks odd on his pale face. "Annabeth always did have an interesting sense of humor. Let me guess, she used that death mask that I got for her a few years back after I came back from a trip to Europe."

"Yeah, it was big and gold and creepy." I shiver at the thought of it. "And it scared me so badly that I pulled water out of the sinks and toilet and flooded the kitchen, bathroom and hallway. Dad had to put all the water back because I had no idea that I was the one that did it. Then they took me to Olympus above the Empire State Building. I met Grandpa Poseidon and Grandma Athena, they tested me a bit and seem to like me. But seeing twenty foot tall people was freaky, and they ignored me until I yelled at them."

Nico's eyes widen. "You yelled at the Olympian Council? Wow, that takes some serious guts, or just a lot of impatience. I'm guessing you had a bit of both in that situation."

"I don't know, I just wanted them to stop ignoring me and start explaining what the hell was going on."

"Percy has told me a lot about you." Nico wraps one of his arms around my shoulders. "He always says that he is so proud of his little girl. He talks about how smart you are, how you didn't even inherit the dyslexia, how good you are at sports and learning languages. And most of all, he talks about how much he loves you. I even remember the day you were born, it was so early in the morning that the stars were still shining. And the constellation overhead was the Huntress, made from the spirit of an old friend. Percy and Annabeth thought that it was a good sign, which is why they made your middle name Zoe, because they hoped that the spirit of Artemis' lieutenant would watch over you as you grow up."

Finding out the origin of one of my middle names is very interesting, so I decide to try asking about the other two, since my full name is actually five names long. "So what about the other two names? Thalia and Bianca?"

Nico's smile fades and he becomes rather sad. "The first one Thalia, is the name of your godmother. She succeeded Zoe as the leader of the Hunters and Artemis' lieutenant. The other name, Bianca, is the name of my sister." He stops for a few seconds, then takes a breath and continues. "She died when she was on a quest with Percy, Thalia, Zoe and Grover. Zoe died on that same quest, and it was also at that time that Thalia joined the Hunters and became immortal. So in essence, you were given the names of three very strong and very brave women. Though your first name came from somewhere else, but Percy and Annabeth refuse to share that secret."

"So two of them are dead, and one is immortal?" I grimace a little. "Seems like a bit of a bad omen, I don't really fancy either dying or immortality."

Nico smirks. "I suppose not. But you'll understand when you get older. Anyway, your parents named you with great care. And those of us who were there remember how proud they were when you wailed for the first time. You were a strong, loud and healthy baby. And to protect you, as well as hope for luck for you, they named you Ciara Thalia Zoe Bianca Jackson. And I could swear that you glowed green for a moment when you were named, maybe that was Poseidon giving you a blessing."

I let all of that sink in for a minute. I had no idea that there was such a complicated story behind the names that I was given. "So if Thalia is my godmother, then do I have a godfather too?"

"Yes you do." Nico's smirk softens back into a smile. "That would be me. I was there when Will attended to the delivery. Thalia was there as support for Annabeth and to represent Zoe and Bianca, and I was there to keep Percy from freaking out, among other reasons."

"Other reasons?" I tilt my head, feeling a little confused. "What possible reasons could you have for wanting to attend a delivery session? I mean it's not exactly a quiet and calm ordeal." Memories of my health classes jump to the front of my mind. "Isn't it like volunteering for a torture session?"

Nico bites his lip and I could swear that he is blushing. "Uh, well you see, me and Will are involved. I'm sure that you would find that a bit odd, two guys together."

I shrug. "As long as you don't go making out in front of me, I'm good. I once walked in on Maria and Kyle kissing behind the school and I ran for the hills, literally. Mom and Dad always taught me not to judge people for who they decide to love, because often enough, someone loves someone that they 'aren't supposed to'." I wag the bunny ears over my last comment for good measure. "But anyway, I'm guessing that your Will isn't the one that Kai has a problem with."

Nico smiles and shakes his head. "No. Will Solace is the counselor for the Apollo cabin, and now the chief of our medical staff."

My eyes widen. "Whoa, wait. You mean that you're dating Dr. Solace? He's been my doctor for like ever."

Nico nods. "Yes, and Clarisse Rodriguez is your gym teacher, she is a daughter of Ares. Grover is your school counselor, and he happens to be a member of the Council of Cloven Elders. Will Solace is your doctor, as well as a son of Apollo. Your school's shop teacher is a daughter of Hephaestus, her name is Nyssa. And there are several others who have been participating in your daily life, all from the older generation of demigods. This was all as a favor to Percy and Annabeth. They wanted to make sure that you would be safe."

It shocks me a little that my parents would go to such extremes to protect me. But this isn't the point, I have to find out about this Will person. "So, Will Solace and the Will that Kai hates are two different people. So who is this other Will?"

Nico's expression darkens a little. "It's got to do with an old rivalry, which is why Kai reacted in a much more hostile way that he normally would have. He thinks that you are a daughter of Poseidon, and therefore abides by the Big Three rivalry. Hades, Poseidon and Zeus are eternally rivals, despite being brothers. And while you have the powers of Poseidon, Kai is a son of Hades, and Will is a son of Zeus. He is currently on vacation with his mother down in Florida, but he should be coming to camp in a few days. But just to warn you, he is very socially forward, very friendly and somewhat imposing of a personality. Which is why Kai hates him so much, Will continually tries to stick his nose into Kai's business."

"I see." I groan at my own stupidity. "Which is why he thought that Will sent me. I wanted a practice partner and he was the only one there, so when he ignored me, I got right up in his face. And to top it off, he thinks that I'm a daughter of Poseidon, which just makes him hate me even more."

Nico chuckles. "That would definitely get you on his bad side. But don't worry, he is like that with most people anyway. He is the reclusive loner type, which is why I have to teach him personally. In fact, when you two fought, he was there waiting for me. I arrived about mid fight, so I let it play out. It's the first time I've actually seen him lose, and I was impressed by how much control you have over your own power after only a week."

"So what do I do?" I fiddle with my fingers, unable to control my fidgeting. "I made him hate me."

Nico takes me by the arm and smiles. "Then I guess all that can be done is to explain to him what really happened, and hope that it gets through his thick head." Then he grins mischievously. "Besides, you haven't seen my cabin yet, it's really cool."

Nico escorts me out of the woods, though keeps a light grip on me. He must be worried about something if he refuses to let go of me, perhaps a wandering monster, or maybe one of those campers that looked like they wanted to kill me.

* * *

After a ten minute walk all the way back to the cabins area, Nico guides me to a solid black cabin, made of what I think is obsidian, a kind of volcanic glass known as the substance with the sharpest possible edge. Some surgeons use it in their scalpels to minimize scarring on their patients, fun fact that I got off the internet. Green torches are burning on each side of the door, which is slightly ajar. With such a dark cabin, it must be like an oven inside.

Nico pushes open the door and pokes his head inside. "Oi Kai, were you being a rude brat again? I got another complaint." Then he pulls his head out and opens the door, coaxing me inside. "Go on, he is in there. I can come in as well if you want, or I can leave you two to settle it."

I take a deep breath. "Give me two minutes."

Nico nods and close the door behind me, leaving my eyes to adjust to the strange light in the cabin. I notice Kai sitting at a central table, using rags to soak up all of the water that I went and got on his armor. "So who came to complain this time?" He looks up at me and his face changes quickly, showing a very angry expression. "What the hell are you doing here? Leave!"

I cross my arms and glare right back at him. "You were only half right on two points earlier. And I've never even met this Will. I've been here for a week, ever since I nearly destroyed the plumbing at home. Which is why Mom and Dad brought me here."

Kai opens his mouth as if to speak, but I cut him off, slowly advancing on him. "Yes, I said Mom and Dad, I don't have a godly parent. You really weren't at the embarrassing campfire last week, otherwise you would know that. My name is Ciara Jackson, my parents are Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, and Annabeth Chase-Jackson, daughter of Athena, which means that Poseidon and Athena are my grandparents. I challenged you to a fight because I had been training with Sam all week at the archery range, and the package of armor and weapons finally came in from the forges. I wanted to give them a test run." I let my arms down and put them on my hips. "So now, is there anything you want to accuse me of?"

Somehow, while I was ranting, I managed to surprise him so much that he actually shows it on his face. Then he puts down the rags and looks at the floor. "No. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I just never train with anyone other than Nico, so when I fight someone else, it's usually someone from the Ares cabin, or that idiot Will."

I walk around behind him and lean my arms on his shoulders and my head on top of his. "By the way, if you wanted the water off of your armor, you could have just said so." I touch the armor and in an instant, it is perfectly dry. "A perk of having Dad's powers is that stuff dries on command." I stop leaning on him and dive under the table to find the other soaking pieces of armor. One by one, I dry them off and pile them on the table. "There, fast and easy."

"Thanks." And that is the last thing I expect him to say. He stands and collects his armor. "Nico gave me this armor, so I don't want it to get all rusted." He carefully straps the armor to a mannequin by his bed, then drapes a sheet over it.

"So, are we good?" I ask hesitantly. "Because we could go another couple of rounds with the power restrictions completely off." I grin at my own suggestion.

"Nah." He spins around and smirks. "I don't really want to have to wash my mouth out again just to get rid of the taste of seaweed. But I suppose that if your dad hasn't gotten around to teaching you, I could show you a few things. Bring that sword of yours next time, along with every weapon you've got. I promise that you will be the one with bruises next time."

That last part shocks me. "Bruises? Where?" Then it hits me. "Ah, you mean on your hip. I'm sorry, did I hit you harder than I thought?"

"Nah, they're on my back. I haven't checked to see how big they are, but I can feel them. Your little trick with flooding the arena is how it happened, they are from where my back slammed against my armor spikes. The spikes aren't damaged because the ground was softened, but they can still leave marks."

I grab his arm and turn him around. "Wait, what are you…?" I pull up the back of his shirt, which causes him to panic. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

I smack the back of his head. "Shut up and let me look."

The bruises on his back really are there. And because of his uneven landing, they are spread out from his left shoulder, across to the middle of his upper back, then trailing down his spine. Then I notice the bruise on his hip. "You liar, you said that my shot to your hip wasn't what left the bruise!" And the bruises are turning dark purple. So I use the remnants of the water that was left on his armor, coating my hand in the water. A little bit of concentration allows me to chill the water. "Brace yourself, this is going to feel weird."

Once Kai gives up, he just pulls the shirt right off. "Fine, just don't get my clothes wet again." He cringes as I touch his back with the cold water. "Jeez that's cold, and children of Hades have naturally lower cold body temperatures to begin with." He even shivers a little, but his muscles start to relax a little, which means that the water is successfully numbing the pain of the bruises. I frown a little. Since I can numb his bruises, why shouldn't I be able to just heal them?

I take the water in both of my hands and try to focus power into it. I found out in the arena that the water heals me, so why shouldn't I be able to use it to heal others. Then the water starts to glow faintly, I move it over the bruises and he lurches. "What are you doing now? The pain is mostly gone." I press my hands to his back and close my eyes, hoping that this works.

When I open my eyes, I see the bruises fading and healing. But this new power of mine isn't without its own repercussions. My sight starts to fade and I drop my hands. Kai turns just in time to see me fall to the floor. "Hey! What's happening? Are you alright?" I feel him grab me, but the sensation fades as well as I slip into unconsciousness.


	7. The Price of Power

When I come to, I hear my dad's voice. "Are you sure that's how it happened?"

"Yeah, one minute she was trying to numb my bruises, the next, she was trying something else. And once the pain was gone, she just fell over. I managed to stop her from hitting her head on anything, but she was pale and just fainted." I recognize the voice as Kai's, and he sounds just as worried as my dad.

I realize that I'm lying down in a bed, so I push myself into a sitting position and shake my head, trying to clear it. "Dad, what happened? Why did I faint like that?"

He sits down on the bed and looks at me carefully. "I'm not sure. Tell me exactly what you did before you fainted. Maybe that will give us a clue as to why your powers seem so unstable in your body. First there was the incident at the house, then the flooding at the arena, then this fainting. If there is something wrong, we need to find out what. On the other hand, this could just be growing pains, I had those when I was your age, though they were a bit different. So tell me, what did you do?"

I look at my hand and turn it over. "I covered my hands in water and chilled the water to treat his bruises, kind of like an icepack. Then I wondered if I could just heal the bruises instead of numbing the pain. I concentrated hard and the water glowed. The bruises started to fade and heal. I started to feel woozy, then I remember falling over and hearing Kai ask me what was going on. After that, nothing."

Dad looks amazed. "You used water to heal him? That should be impossible, even I've never healed someone else with water." He touches my forehead, then my cheeks. He turns my head from side to side. "Well you look fine, but we should still get a second opinion. Go see your friend Sam, he should be in the infirmary right now." He glances at Kai. "Can you make sure she gets there?"

"Sure." Kai grimaces a bit, then smirks. "You want me to carry her there too?"

"You carried me here?" My face suddenly feels hot. "You only have like twenty pounds on me, how can you be strong enough to carry me?"

"You aren't that heavy." Then his smirk turns a little evil. "Maybe you should put on a few pounds, being a scrawny little girl won't get you a boyfriend. Guys don't like toothpicks, no matter how pretty their face is."

Dad rolls his eyes and gets to his feet. "I don't know how I feel about watching you flirt with my daughter. Next time, wait until I'm gone." He leaves after winking at Kai, whose face has contorted into a scowl.

I laugh a little. "He always makes jokes, don't take it so seriously."

Kai glares at me again. "Girls are a pain in the ass, which is why I hate them. No I'm not into guys like my big brother, I just hate prissy, frivolous and fashion obsessed little girls."

I toss back the covers of my bed and use the bedframe to pull myself to my feet. "Well, if you're quite finished with expressing your disdain for me, I have to go see Sam. Thank you for bringing me here, your assistance is no longer required."

"Hey, your dad said to escort you!" Kai grabs my arm, so I grab his wrist and twist his arm hard enough to stretch the skin the wrong way. I glare right back at him and my voice comes out in a snarl. "I hate being treated like a stupid little girl. I avoid the stupid bullies at school, but here, I don't have to just stay quiet and put up with it." I let go of his arm and turn out the door.

* * *

I walk over to the infirmary, fuming. Kai has absolutely no delicacy, and that's even after I tended to his injuries. He has no right to go and be such an asshole to me, he acts even worse than those idiotic boys at school.

When I walk through the doors of the infirmary, Sam's bright golden blonde hair immediately catches my eye. And judging from how quickly his head turns to look at me, I've caught his eye as well. He puts down his clipboard and walks over. "Hi Ciara, what are you doing here?"

"Dad told me to come and get myself checked out, I had a fainting episode earlier that resulted from-" I look around to make sure no one is within earshot. "Something rather particular."

Sam raises an eyebrow. "Maybe you should come with me to one of the examination rooms so I can have a look at you. If your dad is concerned enough to send you here, it must be something interesting at least."

He gestures towards a door about fifteen feet away, and I follow him into a small room with a bed, a counter, and a whole rack of medical tools. When he tilts his head at the bed, I sit down on it and wait for him to flip through pages on his clipboard.

"Alright, so you said that you had fainted?"

I nod. "I had a practice duel earlier today with a guy from the Hades cabin. After the fight, I met Nico, we talked, and he brought me to his cabin to get an apology out of his little brother. After getting the air cleared, I offered some first aid treatment for the bruising. At first I just used cold water to numb his bruises, then I focused my energy and started healing him. Once I finished healing him, I fell over and fainted."

Sam's eyes widen dramatically. "You healed him? I've never heard of anyone other than me and my siblings with the ability to heal someone other than themselves." Then he shakes his head. "But you fainted? Maybe it took too much of your energy. You should be careful with that. If your ability to heal is proportionate to your own strength, then it might have dire consequences if you push it too far. How long were you unconscious?" He starts measuring my pulse and shining lights into my eyes.

"Uh." I think about it for a minute. It was about noon that I fought with Kai, and it was mid-afternoon by the time I woke up. "Maybe two and a half hours."

"And that was just healing bruises? How much bruising was there?"

"About a third of his back was bruised, he got it from falling backwards in armor. It was pretty bad, I mean his back was probably just a couple of hours from turning all sorts of weird colors."

Sam looks a bit alarmed. "In that case, I suggest that you stick to healing cuts and bruises, nothing more. If you try to heal beyond your own strength, it might kill you. From what I can tell, the healing took the required energy from you, resulting in you sleeping for a few hours. If you tried to heal a serious injury in your current state, the damage to you would probably be severe."

"So what is the verdict Dr. Sam? How am I doing?"

Sam shoots me a look of annoyance. "Well, provided that you give your powers a rest for a little while, eat something and get a good night's sleep, you should be fine by morning. But until you get stronger, I would advise against using that healing power too much. You're still a bit small, I would say about ninety five pounds or so, with very little in the way of muscle. Although, I would say that you are likely to be fairly tall, since your parents are both close to six feet tall. You'll get stronger by growing up, wait till you hit puberty, then you'll find that your powers will drain you less."

"So I'm going to be fine?"

Sam nods and smiles. "Yeah, you'll be fine as long as you're careful. Though I guess that can be said for any of us here at camp. Just be careful around that Kai, he has a rather foul mouth on him. And then there is the thing with Will McGrant, those two just get into arguments whenever they see each other. I can understand that they have that Hades and Zeus issue, but they could be a bit more civil about it."

I slide myself off the bed and smile wearily. "Well either way, it has nothing to do with me. I want nothing to do with whatever issues those two have. They can duke it out until the world ends, as long as they don't get me involved."

"Smart move. And I'd love to continue our interesting conversation, but this is my infirmary shift and there are bound to be a couple of Ares campers coming in with broken bones at any moment."

"Oh, of course." I smile sweetly at him and give him a hug. "Thanks for the advice, and I hope your shift goes well." I leave the infirmary, waving goodbye to him before slipping out the door.

I want so badly to get away from everyone that I skip dinner and go out towards Zeus' Fist. It isn't near water, so Dad probably won't come looking for me in this area. I sit on top of the huge pile of boulders and watch as the sky slowly turns pink, orange and gold.

* * *

When the stars finally start to shine overhead, I decide that it's about time to head back to my cabin before I end up breaking curfew. I climb down the boulders and come face to face with one of the most unpleasant looking group of boys I've ever seen. All three of them are taller than me, and at least twice as wide, probably in their mid-teens. Their faces are twisted into scowls so convincing that they were probably born that way.

I look around, trying to avoid a confrontation. "Are you guys scouting the area for the next capture the flag game?"

The guy in the middle smirks. "We don't need to do any scouting, we already know this area inside and out. You shouldn't have wandered this far into the woods little miss, it's dangerous out here."

I give them a smile, despite all my senses being on red alert. "Thank you for the advice. Since I'm pretty new here, advice from the older campers is helpful. Are there any particular dangers in this area that I should be aware of?" I edge backwards and start silently cursing that I didn't bring my sword with me. I doubt that my single knife will be of much use if these three decide to attack me.

"Dangers? Well there is one you should be aware of." He makes a hand motion to his buddies, who then spread out to the left and right. "Getting on the bad side of the wrong people is one of the most dangerous things you can do here. So I suggest that from now on, you stop prancing around, trying to get everyone to like you, you draw too much attention to yourself." He pulls out a sword and nods to his friends. "Get her."

I immediately bolt to my left, pulling my knife out and ducking under one huge arm as it tries to grab me. The lucky thing is that I'm a very good sprinter, so I easily put a fair bit of distance between us. Then I start to lose energy, which is a common problem. Since I know that I was only good for one short burst of high speed, which took me about three hundred meters, I turn and face my oncoming attackers.

"And what exactly did I do to deserve this kind of hatred?" I yell at them. "I'm just trying to figure out what the hell is going on with my life!"

They catch up in less than five seconds, but not one of them is out of breath. The lead one glares at me. "You insulted the daughters of Aphrodite. You've caused a commotion in the camp, taking eyes off of them and pulling everyone's attention to you."

I bend my knees, ready to jump at one of them and strike. "So this is because of jealousy? I wish that I wasn't drawing so much attention, but it's hardly my fault that everyone either hates or idolizes my parents. If you have a problem, take it up with them."

With nowhere left to run, I spring at one of the three, a tall guy with reddish hair and brown eyes. I manage to duck under his arm, which holds a four foot long sword, hitting him in the stomach with the blunt end of my knife. I dart around him, only to be pulled back by my hair.

"That's foul play!" I yell, struggling to pull myself free. "Let go of me!"

Suddenly, the hands holding me shove me into the dirt without letting go. The sharp rocks in the dirt press into my skin, leaving small cuts, and probably a lot of bruises. It's their leader who has his knee pressing into my back. I can't push myself up, he is at least twice my weight. And before I can try to stab him with a backwards thrust, he wrenches my knife out of my hands so hard that my wrist cracks.

"Don't even think about trying to escape this. But don't worry, we won't kill you. The ladies just want their competition gone." With his hands free, he takes my knife and I feel the blade on my cheek, cutting into the skin and drawing blood. He moves to my neck, lightly cutting the skin there as well, but without causing me to seriously bleed out.

One of the other two takes a seat to my right, at least, I assume he is sitting, judging by the particulars of the shifting weight. "Hey, I got an idea. Since those cuts might just heal the way his do, why don't you cut off her hair? Much more effective."

The one of top of me removes the blade from my neck and grabs hold of my hair. "Good idea. Injuries can heal, but that sure won't." He rips my ribbon out of my hair, sending it all cascading around my face.

I try wiggling my way out again, but he just grips my hair harder. "Oh no you don't little brat. We have our orders, and my compatriot is right, that is indeed a much more effective way of convincing you to behave yourself. And a good way to make you cry."

He slides the blade against the back of my neck and pulls on my hair roughly while sawing through it. And just to taunt me, he drops the hair in front of my face, piece by piece. He grabs the right half of the hair at the back of my head next, hacking that off as well. Next, he pulls on the hair near my face, cutting through it, leaving it longer than the rest, but jagged and frayed. In all, three feet of curly brown hair lie on the ground next to my face. But despite it all, I refuse to make a sound.

The pressure on my back lessens as the bully gets to his feet. "Remember this Jackson, don't think of competing with the daughters of Aphrodite ever again."

"Who goes there?" comes a loud voice through the trees.

The one sitting to my right bolts to his feet. "Shit! Greg, we have to go!"

As I pull myself to my knees with my good hand, an arrow flies past me and nearly hits the one called Greg. The three campers run off, leaving my knife on the ground. And a trio of archers come running into the clearing. One of them approaches me and shines a flashlight at me. I hold up my arms, shielding my face from the bright light. "Hey, what happened?"

"Ciara?" I let my trembling arms drop a little when I hear his voice. "Sam? Why are you here?"

Sam pushes the guy with the flashlight away. "Hey, cool it Liam, can't you see she's scared?" Then Sam pulls my arms away from my face and his eyes widen in shock as he looks at me. "Why in Hades did they do this to you?" He pulls me into his arms and holds me tight. "Oh gods, I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner."

"Sam, you said Ciara. Is that Percy's little girl?"

Sam nods to his friends. "Yeah, she's the one I've been teaching at the archery range. From the looks of it, those three guys were from the Ares cabin. Though why they attacked her, I have no idea."

Sam lets me out of the hug, but takes my hands and helps me to stand, jolting my wrist. "Ow!" I cringe at the touch. "That hurts." Sam looks down at my wrist and moves it carefully. "It looks broken." His eyes drift up to my neck and face. "You have about half a dozen knife wounds, a dozen or more from rocks and tree branches, and probably more bruises than I'd want to count." He moves his hand up and touches my hair. "I can help with the injuries, but I'd say that you need some help here that I can't provide."

He takes off his hoodie and drapes it around my shoulders, then pulls up the hood. "Here, at least now you won't have people staring at you." He waves to his friends. "You guys keep going on patrol, I'll send someone to replace me. She needs me more than you guys do." The two nod and take off running towards the lake.

* * *

Sam guides me to the infirmary, taking routes with less people, though most are in their cabins anyway. Once there, he sits me on a bed in one of the far corners and pulls out a first aid box, as well as what looks like lemonade and brownies.

He hands me the lemonade and brownies. "Have a little of that, it should help with your wrist. But drink slowly, I need to disinfect your cuts." He takes a cotton ball and dab some kind of medicine onto it, then presses it to my cuts. It stings a lot, but my feelings are hurt worse than my body. And I notice, as I drink the lemonade, that the pain in my body is going away.

Sam looks at me, noticing my puzzled expression. "What does it taste like?"

"Lemonade." I frown. "Isn't that what it's supposed to taste like?"

Sam smiles. "That's nectar, so it tastes like whatever you like the most. For your dad, it's blue chocolate chip cookies for some reason. I'm not in on the joke about the blue food, but it seems to be a famous habit of his."

I nod. "Yeah, on birthdays, the cake is always blue. Apparently it has to do with Grandma, they had a running joke about blue food. Something about proving that food can be blue."

Sam puts down his cotton ball and turns my head so that he can see all the cuts. "Well, I think that does it for disinfection. Do you want me to get you some water? It might heal you right up."

Before I can say anything, Dad's voice rings through the infirmary. "Ciara? Are you here?" Since I don't really want to answer, Sam does it for me. "Yeah, she's back here Percy!" Then Sam scoots back a little and starts putting away the first aid kit.

Dad bursts into the closed off section and takes one look at me before becoming deadly calm. "Sam, what happened to my daughter?"

"We were on patrol and found her being attacked by three campers, we think that they were sons of Ares. Liam and Darian probably went in pursuit of them." Sam turns away from my injuries to look at Dad. "By the way, I promised them a replacement for me, do you think you could go get Carmen and tell her that our brothers need help? I can finish patching up Ciara."

Dad's expression becomes unreadable, which I've never seen before. "Alright. But tell me this, did you give them a fight." His eyes bore into me, waiting for an answer.

I shrug. "I won in a three hundred meter sprinting contest through the woods, then I hit one of them hard enough with my knife to probably give him a bruise for a week. I didn't have any other weapons on me, and we weren't anywhere near water. I'm not good enough yet to pull water out of myself or out of the air though." I shake my head. "I did what I could, but they were huge, and strong, and much older than me, at least three years older. Once I was on the ground, that was it. I tried to attack even while on the ground, but that's how I ended up with my wrist broken. That happened after fighting with Kai, then using most of my energy to heal him. And after climbing up and down Zeus' Fist."

Dad nods. "In that case, you did very well despite the odds." He turns to Sam. "I will have your siblings send someone to replace you on the patrol." Then he disappears and the curtain closes.

Sam starts wrapping my hand in a flexible, knitted splint. "You know, you really should let me put some ointment on these." He moves on to taping up my wounds and wrapping bandages around my neck.

I shake my head. "They will serve as proof of what happened. Once everyone sees the injuries, they won't be able to deny what happened." I tug on my hair sadly. "But being forced to revert to five years old is going to hurt. I always used my hair to hide my face at school. Bullies picked on me less that way. Before, they called me the puke eyed mop-head. My hair used to be short when I was a kid, and they made fun of it, even using me to rub chalk off the board." I grab my hair and pull it in front of my face, hiding my tears.

Sam looks at me with a horrified expression. He drops the bandages and wraps his arms around me. "Never listen to them ever again. I've seen plenty of puke, since I work in the infirmary a lot, and your eyes can't possibly be compared to that." He let's go, pulls my hand away and brushes my hair from my face, staring me straight in the eyes. "You have vivid green eyes, just like Percy, the eyes of a god. Never let anyone tell you otherwise."

He tips me down onto the bed and pulls the covers over me. "Sleep here tonight. Doctor's orders. No one will bother you here. Just close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you." So I close my eyes and listen carefully. A guitar starts to play a soft and sad melody. I feel my head going fuzzy, kind of like a wool sweater being pulled over my head. I fall asleep to the sound of a guitar and Sam's soft singing voice.


	8. Justice of the Underworld

When I wake up, I look out the window and see the sun in the sky. It looks like it's about nine in the morning, which means that most people will be at breakfast in the dining pavilion. So I sneak out of the infirmary and through the rings of cabins. I cross the central garden making sure that no one sees me. I slip into my cabin and close the door behind me.

With Dad gone, I can get dressed in peace. I find my armor and hold it close to my chest. It startles me by shrinking and compacting into leather bracelets, anklets and a choker, all with a variety of charms on them, representing all my weapons. The only things left behind are the soft leather clothing. So I pull on the clothing and tap the bracelets together, activating the armor. I tap the bracers together and the armor compacts into the simple jewelry. I see my twin swords, detached from each other. I press a button at the base of each blade, and they shrink until they become beautiful silver earrings.

I rummage around the cabin until I find a needle. With my breath held, I quickly pierce both of my ears, making the holes as level as possible. Once they stop bleeding, I hook in the earrings and let them swing. With all of my weapons on me, I feel much safer, but there is still one thing left to do.

I find a couple of mirrors and sit myself down between them. I find a pair of scissors lying around, so I snatch them up and start cutting off the longest pieces of hair. I then grab the back of my hair and start cutting up and down, trying to make it as even as possible. Lastly, I cut my bangs so that they sweep over my eyes.

When all of the hair is gathered in a cloth, I shove it into my pocket and stuff what's left of my hair into a hat. With as quiet a footstep as I can make, I sprint into the woods. I run and run until I come to the clearing where I was attacked. The scene hasn't been touched, my hair is still lying in a pile right next to where I was attacked.

* * *

I walk to the pile and kneel on the ground. I start picking up all of the pieces, tying them with a small strip of cloth. The whole pile is too big to fit in my pockets, and I don't have a lighter on me. So I walk another quarter mile, until I finally find the creek that runs through the camp.

I sit at the edge of the creek, contemplating throwing the bundles of hair into it. But one look from the naiads makes me think that I should find a place to burn it instead. So I just sit by the running water and stare off into space.

Suddenly, I hear a twig crack behind me, so I tap my bracelets together, wincing as I jolt my broken but splinted wrist. My armor covers me, though my hats falls to the ground to make room for my leather hood. I spin around and try to see where the noise came from.

"Who's over there in the armor?" Calls a familiar voice. "Identify yourself!"

I carefully move my right hand towards my sword, trying to give no indication that I'm injured. "Leave me alone, I don't want to see anyone right now." I grasp the hilt of my sword and pull it out a few inches.

Then Kai emerges from the trees. "Ciara? What are you doing out here? I'm the only one who was supposed to be over here right now. Everyone else is at breakfast." He sheathes his sword and walks toward me. "You can take off the armor, I'm not looking for another fight so soon."

I slide the blade back into its sheath and turn away from him. "Go away, I don't want to see anyone right now." I hide the hair behind me, trying to be as imperceptible as possible. "I've had a rough night, so I came here to clear my head."

Kai frowns at me. "You didn't show up for breakfast this morning, and you weren't at dinner either. What's going on?" He cranes his neck, trying to see around me. "And what are you hiding behind your back? Your movements are strange, you didn't take your sword out the same way as yesterday."

"Go away!" I scream at him. "I want everyone to just go away!" I throw a rock at him with my left hand, then lose my balance and slam down on my right hand, breaking the splint and slamming the broken bones together. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I scream in pain and collapse, nearly blacking out from the pain.

"Ciara! What the hell happened!?" Kai rushes over to me and kneels down in the dirt, pulling me up a little, but jolting my hand again, causing me try cry out in pain. "Stop! It hurts!" He looks at the broken splint in the dirt and sees the pile of hair behind me. Then his eyes flash back to me and he pulls down my hood, revealing all of the injuries to my face and neck.

I try to pull away from him, tears in my eyes. "Please just leave me alone."

His face darkens to a coldness that I've never seen on anyone before. "Who did this to you? Obviously a badly broken wrist, cuts and bruises all over your face and neck, probably even more under your armor." His eyes start gleaming with a vengeful light. "Who did it?"

I shake my head. "It doesn't matter, I'll be getting payback once I heal. Besides, I only came down here to dispose of a pile of bad memories." I sigh with frustration, wiping my tears from my cheeks. "Do you have a lighter with you? I want to set it all on fire."

Kai looks pained as his eyes slide over me. "Yeah, but are you sure?"

I nod. "I just want it gone. After I get it all settled, I just want to forget that any of this happened."

Without another word, he takes out a lighter, flicks the flint to produce a flame, then lights a dead leaf on fire. He throws the leaf into the pile of hair and the flames quickly spread. One of the naiads watches until the fire burns itself out.

"Now for your hand." Kai uses a vice grip on my right arm and forces my broken wrist into the water. "I've seen Percy heal himself like this, so I'm guessing that it works with you as well."

I struggle against his grip. "No! I'm keeping my injuries as proof, so they can't talk their way out of this."

Kai glares at me. "If that's your reason, then I'll tell them what I saw on you. But you need to heal yourself. Now!" He pushes me into the creek and holds my shoulders down until I would normally be thoroughly soaked. His dark eyes stay fixed on my wrist, and he seems to not care in the slightest that his pants are getting wet from the water. Thankfully, my injuries start to close up, becoming scars, then smooth, unmarked skin. Even my wrist feels better.

When he finally releases me and backs his weight off of me, I sit up and smack him. "Why did you do that!? That was my proof that they did it!"

Kai glowers at me. "This isn't the mortal world. We don't make whole cases about it. Here, it's pretty simple. If you have a beef with someone, you duel them and kick the crap out of them. You get payback, and they don't mess with you again. Now spill it. Who did this to you?"

I loose a string of curses. "Three guys from the Ares cabin. That's what Sam said. Their leader's name is Greg, at least that's what the ginger called him. They were about fifteen or sixteen, over a foot taller than me. They ganged up on me last night. After the fight with you, then healing you, then climbing up and down Zeus' Fist and a three hundred meter race through the woods that I won. I was out of energy and there were three of them. I was nowhere near water, and I only had a knife with me, no armor."

* * *

Kai grabs my left wrist and pulls me out of the water. He starts dragging me back towards the cabins area. He doesn't even seem to hear my protests, so I pull up my hood and just keep quiet while he drags me up to the front door of the Ares cabin. And he does it in full view of the stragglers who are heading back to their cabins after breakfast.

He bangs loudly on the door. "Hey ass-wipes! I know you're in there!"

Within about ten seconds, the door bangs open and a big glaring face looks down at us. Her face is scary looking, and she must be at least six feet tall. "Who the fuck are you looking for pipsqueak?"

Kai snarls. "Greg, Pete and Marcus. Are those bastards around?"

She nods. "In the back, I'll go get them." She smirks back at Kai, though I don't know why. And after another half minute, my new friends are at the door, and they don't look pleased.

"What does the little Zombie want here?" The terrible face of the one who hurt me is in front of me, with a proud looking leer on his face. "You want tips on how to hold a sword?"

Kai squeezes my wrist. "Is this the guy?" His question forces me to nod. I try to back away a bit, but Kai still has me in his grip, and it's tightening in anger. "So you're the one who attacked her last night huh?" Kai reaches into his pocket and throws a black cloth at Greg's chest. "I'll be civilized with her this close, but you had better be at the arena in an hour, otherwise I'll go parading around camp telling everyone that you're too scared to fight me."

Kai turns away from the Ares cabin without even waiting for a reply, pulling me away from the scary looking blood red cabin. I feel scared and worried about this idea. "Are you sure that you want to fight him? He only had to put his knee on me to keep me down. Do you really think you can beat him?"

Kai glares at the ground. "No, I don't think I can beat him. I know that I can beat him. He is a brainless and spineless coward who just waves around a spiked mace, I'm smarter, faster and more skilled than he is."

With the conviction in his voice, I feel like it's impossible to doubt him. "Okay. But why are you fighting him? Shouldn't I be the one fighting?"

He looks at me with a flat expression. "Fighting him wouldn't be like fighting me. I always hold back in a fight, even when I saw your natural talent. I may have held back against you, but he wouldn't, and you are no match for someone with his training. At least, not yet."

I want to argue, but I can't. I see the logic of his argument, and it makes perfect sense. And I guess it was naïve of me to think that he was actually fighting me yesterday. There is no way I should have won that fight. I caught him off guard with my abilities, but if it were a real fight, I probably would have lost my head before even splitting my swords.

"So what do we do now? Do you have a plan?"

He grins. "Win. If I can do that, he won't be messing with you again. And after I win, I'll see about getting you some training with that arsenal of yours. Those weapons will do you no good if you can't learn to fight with all of them. Though they will be especially useful if you can learn to switch between them quickly in the middle of a fight."

We run all the way to the Hades cabin and Kai walks in first. "Come on, the cabin doesn't bite." He walks over to the mannequin next to his bed and changes his shirt. I look away pointedly, but not before I catch my second glimpse of his bare chest. It doesn't look like what I typically see from boys at the pool. Most of them are scrawny or flabby. He is neither. He is a tad thin, but then again, he hasn't hit puberty yet, and I can clearly see a collection of strong, lean muscles.

"So what is your armor made of?" I ask while looking at the ceiling. "I haven't seen any black armor other than yours. And your sword is black too. I'm guessing they aren't made of Celestial Bronze or Ocean Steel."

"Nope. The armor and sword are both made of Stygian Iron. It's from the Underworld, which is why only the children of Hades have it. Nico has some armor like that too. Actually, my armor used to be his, but he gave it to me since he outgrew it a long time ago."

I feel intrigued, but I really want to ask about Nico. "So, since you're his little brother, you know about Nico's…preference for guys?"

Kai raises an eyebrow. "Of course I know. How did you find out?"

"I talked to him yesterday. He found me in the woods after…our little encounter. I was upset, so he talked to me and made me feel better. He told me about the names my parents gave me, and that he was even there when I was born. Apparently, he and Thalia are my godparents."

"Whoa." Kai's eyes widen and he slides on the greaves and boots of his armor. "You godfather is my big brother? I never would have seen that coming. And how many names do you have anyway?"

I laugh a bit. "It's kind of silly. But Nico told me that my three middle names are the names of girls who joined the Hunters of Artemis. Thalia, their current lieutenant, my godmother, and an old friend of my mom and dad. Zoe, the old lieutenant, who is now a constellation called the Huntress. And the third name is Bianca, for Nico's older sister, who also happens to have been a child of Hades."

"Yikes." Kai cringes. "So that makes your name Ciara Thalia Zoe Bianca Jackson? That's really long, like thirteen syllables. You have my sympathies, long names suck." He pulls on his bracers and straps on his chest plate. "So even though you are the granddaughter of Poseidon, your godfather is a son of Hades, and your godmother is a daughter of Zeus? Jeez, if that isn't a recipe for disaster, I don't know what is."

I throw him a flat glare. "Well you and I seem to get along fine. Well sorta fine. And Nico is super nice to me, I could talk to him for ages…"

Kai shoots a strange look at me, and I can't quite place it. "You do remember that he is thirty years old and gay right? Don't go getting a crush on him, it won't go anywhere."

My face flushes and gets really hot. "Ok, enough of this. I never meant that. Besides, he is more like that uncle that you always want to go and visit. You know, the one with all the cool stuff who lets you do whatever you want and won't scold you for it. At least that's the impression I get from him."

"Yeah, whatever." Kai shakes his head. "More than one girl has gotten a crush on Nico and ended up disappointed."

"I don't have a crush on Nico!"

"Whatever."

"I give up!" I throw my hands into the air and get up. "I'll be at the arena. Since I'm the reason you're fighting this guy, I should at least go watch."

I turn towards the door and can feel his smirk boring into the back of my head as I walk out of the cabin. I close the door behind me and walk towards the arena. Now that there are people running about, coming out of the Hades cabin might seem rather suspicious, but I ignore all of the stares and keep my face hidden.

* * *

I walk all the way to the arena, not even bothering to hide my destination from onlookers. I feel eyes following me, but at his point, I don't really care much. I want justice done, though I still don't like Kai fighting my battle for me. I want to get into that fight myself and do it all myself.

Once inside the arena, I see that there are people gathering inside, taking seats in many of the rows that climb up the sides. Duels must not happen very often, or at least not duels like this. I see Nico sitting in one of the front rows, close to one of the entrances. Seeing him makes me happy, so I almost skip over to him.

"Hi Nico." I give him the best smile I can make. "Here to watch the fight?"

He nods. "I'm surprised that Kai actually challenged someone to duel. And he only ever practices with me. He never turns down a duel, but never makes a challenge himself. He has been acting very odd lately." Nico glances at me. "Do you know why he challenged this guy to a duel?"

I suddenly feel guilty. "Yeah. It's because of me."

Nico's surprise shows on his face. "Because of you? What could possibly have happened that would make him do that?" Then he seems to realize something. "Does this have anything to do with why two Apollo campers came to see Percy during our pinochle game with Chiron last night? Percy rushed out right after one of them told him something. I didn't hear what it was, so I had no idea what could make Percy run out on our weekly game."

"Yeah." I feel so much smaller now, scared even. And even though I try to control it, my hands start to shake. "There was an incident last night.

Nico reaches up to my face and shifts my hood so that he can see me clearly. His eyes widen, then narrow in an angry glare. "Well that explains everything. And I can see why Kai is planning to fight this guy." Nico sighs. "Kai and I are children of Hades, god of the Underworld. With that comes certain…notions about justice. Personally, I like seeing justice dealt. But Kai's sense of justice is so strong that he has become more than willing to take revenge on behalf of someone else."

"Take revenge for someone else?" The thought of him taking my revenge for me is nerve wracking. "So, how far will he go with this?"

Nico holds up his hands and sighs. "Until he is satisfied that the physical and emotional pain the victim suffered has been dealt equally to the one who caused it. An ability he has is to feel the pain of others. Which is why, despite his normally grumpy, cynical and sarcastic exterior, he actually has a huge amount of compassion for others."

In an instant, I realize when it happened. "My wrist. That's when he found out everything. I slammed down on my broken wrist, and he got super mad right after he touched me." I feel heat rise into my cheeks. "Then he pushed me into the water and held me in there until all my injuries healed."

Nico cracks a smile. "Let me guess, he got mad, then concerned, then mad, shoved you into the water, got concerned again, got mad again, then dragged you up to the Ares cabin, made the challenge, then dragged you off again?"

I nod in surprise. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"I didn't." Nico's smile change a little, as though he is thinking fondly of Kai. "I've been his counselor since he was five years old. There isn't much that he does that can surprise me anymore. Which is why I think you're a good influence on him. Coming out of that grumpy shell of his might do him some good."

Horns start blaring, harsh sounding war horns. I look over to the far side of the arena and see a bunch of campers, all beefy and burly, tall and muscular. One of them is dressed in bronze armor, with a huge mace in his hand. That must be Greg.

"Hmph, the children of Ares never could turn down a fight." Nico shakes his head. "They are going to find out the hard way why Kai never loses. While Kai only ever trains with me, he is not the only person I train with." Nico nudges me and smiles. "I mean, someone has to keep your dad in shape when his other practice partners aren't around."

Finding out that Nico practices with my dad, who teaches one of the most advanced sword fighting classes, makes me feel better about Kai's chances. Then my eyes drift behind me, just in time to see Kai walk into the arena, dressed in full black armor that makes him look like a living shadow.

I run over to him, worried that he is getting himself into something he shouldn't. "Wait Kai." I get in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. "Are you sure about this? This should be my fight, not yours."

"Move it." Kai's eyes don't even look at me, he is staring over my head at his opponent. "Go sit down with Nico and let me fight without being distracted."

"Fine." I pull my ribbon out of my pocket. I'd retrieved it earlier, before Kai found me in the woods. I tie it tightly around the pommel of his sword. "Good luck." I turn on my heel and walk back to where Nico is. Though instead of sitting on one of the stone benches, I opt for sitting on the wall instead.

"I saw that you know." Nico's voice almost betrays a laugh. "Do you have a crush on my little brother?"

I shake my head. "I'm worried."

And I'm right to be worried, because as the duel begins, the physical differences become obvious. Even though Kai has six inches on me, this other guy has about six inches on him, and must weigh well over two hundred pounds.

Obviously, the ever impatient Greg strikes first, swinging his mace through the air with impressive speed. I almost expect it to hit Kai and send him flying, but he disappears. I look around for him, then see him behind Greg. I turn to Nico in confusion. "How did he do that?"

Nico grins. "Well, there are two ways that he can do that. One is by using Shadow Travel, a special ability of the children of Hades. But that wasn't how he did it. He trains in very heavy armor when he fights me, more than twice the weight of the armor he is using now. Because of that training regimen, he has developed the strength needed to move quickly, even when in full armor. Basically, he just slipped around Greg using his own speed."

I stare at Kai in awe. Each time Greg swings his mace, Kai just slips under it and dodges it. Though the strategy doesn't make much sense to me. "If Kai is so much faster, why doesn't he just end the duel quickly?"

Nico frowns a little. "He seems to be trying to tire him out first." Then Nico gasps. "Wait a minute. What exactly happened to you? Did you end up tired out before they injured you?"

My heart drops into the pit of my stomach. "Are you asking me if it looks like he is trying to have Greg go through the steps of what they did to me?" I take a deep breath and focus. "If that's true, then first, Kai will tire him out. Probably kick him to the ground, leaving a bruise on Greg's back. After that, break his wrist, the dominant one. Then come the multitude of cuts and bruises."

And just as I finish saying that, Kai aims a kick at Greg's back that causes him to stumble. Kai finally starts to go on the attack. The crowd starts cheering and booing, depending on who they support. Kai aims his sword at Greg's face and neck, lightly drawing blood. Drops of blood fall off his pitch black sword and soak into the dirt.

Greg grimaces and tried to bring his spikes mace down on Kai, but it gets dodged again. Unfortunately, it seems like Greg has seen through the dodging pattern, and his whips the mace sideways. One of the spikes drives itself into Kai's armor, denting it and forcing him to jump back, obviously in pain.

Kai's next strike comes faster than my eyes can follow. He slams the flat of his blade against Greg's wrist and I can hear the crack from over thirty feet away. Greg drops his mace into the dirt and Kai whips his sword up to Greg's face.

With his chest heaving, Kai spits out three words. "Justice is served." Then he sheathes his sword and walks towards the entrance that he came through. Muttering and cheering alike break out through the arena. And it's obvious to everyone that Kai won this fight.

But not everyone seems to think that the fight is over. Greg picks up his mace with his other hand and starts running at Kai, who I can see won't be going another round with him. I feel so angry, that this coward would challenge a wounded opponent to a fight that had already been decided.

I feel a powerful tug in my gut as I run between the two. I hold up my hands as though to protect Kai, who spins around in alarm. Ten feet, five feet. Yells echo throughout the arena, but none of them matter to me.

Just as Greg tries to bring his mace down on my head, he is swept up in a huge column of water. And that is when my anger explodes. "You filthy coward! How dare you attack an opponent after the match is over and his back is turned!?"

Muttering breaks out around the arena, which ticks me off. "Everyone shut the hell up and stay where you are!" I look up at Greg and turn him around. I walk around the column of water, so that I can address him and his two friends at the same time. "Don't you fucking dare try this again, or I promise that I will send you straight to the bottom of the lake." I glare at him friends. "And don't think that I've forgotten about the two of you." I smirk at the ginger. "How is that bruise of yours doing? I hope it turns yellow and green you asshole."

I turn back to Greg and pull my hood down. "Oh how brave you are. Attacking a twelve year old girl in the woods, three on one are great odds for you guys. And I suppose you already knew that I was out of energy and pretty much unarmed at the time. Of course, I wasn't expecting to have to fight after skipping supper, having a duel with this idiot behind me, then fainting after healing all the bruises I gave him. So three on one, teenaged boys against a twelve year old girl who is both tired out and armed only with a knife? Nice work, I hope your daddy is proud of you. Because if you EVER try this again, I will be more than ready to duel you myself!"

Everyone in the arena stares at me, as though I were a lightning bolt that blasted a hole in the middle of the arena. I move my hands down fast, slamming Greg into the ground. The water soaks into the ground and fills some of the sections with puddles.

"Hey Ciara, that's enough." Nico touches my shoulder and smiles. "You made your point, and I don't think anyone will try to hurt you again." He glares over at the Ares cabin. "Isn't that right Clarisse?"

A camper from the Ares cabin comes forward, and it's my grumpy old gym teacher Mrs. Rodriguez. She nods. "I'll keep these idiots in line." She stares down at Greg. "Though he probably needed some sense beaten into him anyway."

Nico nods with approval. "In that case, I'll be taking Kai back to our cabin, it looks like he'll need some help getting his armor off." Then Nico turns to me. "You coming? I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about after this mess."

* * *

And so, I accompany Nico and Kai out of the arena. Nico helps Kai along, since Kai seems to be in increasing amounts of pain. His face is getting paler and his breathing sounds labored. And when we finally get through the doors of the Hades cabin, he collapses.

"Kai!" I kneel down and try prying off the armor, since something underneath it is obviously going horribly wrong. "What's wrong? Tell me how to help you!"

He sucks in his breath. "Spike, pierced armor, metal sticking into wound." He groans in pain. "Take the armor off."

I look around for the straps. "Nico! Go get help, we need a medic!" And I hear him run off as I fumble with the straps and remove the armor. Blood spills out of the armor and I see where the wound is. It looks really deep. I press on the wound, trying to keep it from bleeding too much, but the blood just won't stop.

"Kai, what do I do? It won't stop bleeding?" I look around for water, but I can't see any. So I reach over to the Poseidon cabin for water, fresh and clean. It soars to me and I pour it into his wound, flushing out any dirt and metal left in it, as well as removing a lot of pooled blood.

Kai's face is the color of milk, with a hint of gray around his eyes. I hear footsteps behind me and Sam kneels down beside me. "Ciara, how is he" I shake my head. "His breathing is bad, he's lost a ton of blood. I managed to get his armor off and wash out the dirt and metal, but he's getting worse."

I shift around so that Kai's head is on my lap. Sam examines the wound and looks pained. "I don't know what I can do for him, this wound is really bad. I can put some medicine on it and bandage him up, but ultimately, I don't have the power to heal a wound like this, none of my cabin do."

"Do what you can. This guy is a strong one." I watch as Sam starts putting a silver past on the wound, singing while he does it. Then he pulls up Kai's shirt and starts wrapping bandages around his waist. Kai's face is still pale, but his breathing has finally steadied.

Sam binds the bandages and closes his first aid kit. We move him onto his bed very carefully, and I tuck the blankets around him. Sam takes one last look at him, then sighs. "That's about all I can do. I used some healing powers, some medicine that I made myself, and I stopped the bleeding. It shouldn't get infected, and it won't fester. All that matters is that he get lots of rest, lots of fluids and not move around much. He could rip open the wound and bleed out."

"Ok, then I'll watch him for a while." I sit on the floor next to the bed, watching Kai sleep. "I owe him at least that much."

Sam touches my shoulder. "He did what he thought was right. Don't blame yourself for the choice that he made, however rash it might have been." I listen to Sam's footsteps until he closes the door and leaves only silence behind.

I stare at Kai, obsessively making sure that his breathing and pulse don't change. His face remains as pale as ever. Then an idea occurs to me. I look out the door to make sure that Sam is nowhere in sight, because if he caught me doing this, he would probably confine me to the infirmary for a week.

I concentrate on summoning water to me. And somehow, I manage to produce it without having to call it from somewhere else. I kneel at Kai's bedside and make the water hover over him. I mean, I healed him once, so why not again?

I let my energy flow through the water, making it glow so much that it illuminates the inside of the cabin. The water starts to cling to Kai, like a glowing skin. I concentrate the energized water at the spot where he needs healing the most. I feel the energy being sucked out of me, but color starts to return to Kai's face. In fact, it works so well that he even starts to stir. I pray to Poseidon to give me the strength to save my friend.

 _So you have asked, so shall it be. But be warned, this power comes at a price. And your fates will become tied together so tightly that escape will be impossible. Even so, do you want this power?_

With my grandfather offering me an ultimatum, I take it. Power flows through me and I press then energy into his wound, imagining it closing. His hand twitches, as though lightly shocked. Then my vision turns black and I pass out.


	9. The Will of Zeus

I wake up, confused to see that it's dark. If I'm waking up, it should be morning. I hear voices talking over to my left. Then I remember what happened and I panic. "Kai!" I sit up suddenly and smack my head on something hard. "Ow…" I close my eyes and cringe, pressing my hands to my forehead.

When I open my eyes and look around, shapes start coming into focus. I look to my left and see Nico and Kai sitting on Kai's bed. I groan in discomfort and slide myself out of the bed I'm tucked into. "What happened?"

Kai glares at me, then looks away and refuses to speak. Nico rolls his eyes and gets up, switching beds. "You went and did it again. You've been asleep about eighteen hours, its Sunday morning, the Fourth of July. You're lucky you woke up when you did, because if you slept through today, you would have missed the fireworks."

I shake my head. "Ok, but that doesn't explain why Kai refuses to say anything. And why is he up? He is supposed to be resting."

Nico looks a little pained. "Well he would have had to rest for another week, but then you went and did the same thing as last time. You used those powers of yours to heal him. Well mostly, there is still a light wound and some bruising, but you healed about eighty five, maybe ninety percent of the wound. And because of that, when I came back to the cabin I couldn't wake you up. So I put you to sleep in Hazel's bed."

"So why is he so mad?" I point over at Kai. "Shouldn't he be happy that he can actually move around now? He'll get to see the fireworks as well."

"You could have died you dumbass!" He throws my ribbon at me. "When I woke up, your life aura was so weak that I thought someone had come in here and tried to kill you."

Nico shoots a glare over at Kai, which shuts him up, then he turns back to me. "The point is, what you did was very dangerous. No matter how good your intentions were, if you had died, both of us would have felt it. Kai wouldn't be able to carry the guilt of being the reason that you died."

That last statement makes me feel guilty about being so reckless. But then my conviction overturns my guilt. "Well, I made the choice to do what I did, and no one can change that. Besides, I'm fine now, isn't that what matters? And Kai's recovery is guaranteed. All in all, it was worth the risking it."

"You knew that would happen!?" Kai's face contorts into a snarl. "Why the hell did you do it if you knew that it was such a huge risk?"

I stand up and stare him down. "I asked for the power, and it was given to me. Whatever the risks are, that's my business, not yours. So stop harassing me when you should be thanking me for saving your life!"

* * *

I storm out of the cabin and jump down the steps. I silently fume as I make my way back to my cabin. I know that being out of the cabins at this hour constitutes breaking curfew, but I don't care. When one of the harpies comes screeching at me, I shoot it with a jet of water from one of the fountains in front of the Poseidon cabin. I walk in and close the door behind me.

"You're home late."

I look to the far corner of the room and see Dad sitting on his bed. He looks like he just woke up from a bad dream. "So how did your sleepover in the Hades cabin go?"

I shoot him an annoyed look. "I left the party early because a certain party pooper couldn't even be bothered to say thank you for saving his life." I topple onto my bunk and bury my face in the pillow. "Ungrateful zombie boy."

I hear Dad laughing, so I lift my face out of the pillow. "What?" He laughs some more, then rubs his eyes. "Oh, you just remind me of Annabeth when you take that kind of attitude. She used to call me Seaweed Brain all the time. It was her way of being affectionate and annoyed at the same time."

I glare at Dad. "I'm just annoyed. That idiot went and challenged that guy to defend my honor, got himself hurt, then yells at me when I took a risk and saved his life. He gets angry arbitrarily and has a volatile temper." I shove my head back into my pillow, trying keep my own temper in check.

"You know, you may not be used to how things work here yet, but what he did was extraordinary, even by demigod standards." At that, I roll my head over and stare at my dad in disbelief. "Extraordinary how?" Dad chuckles. "Well if past experience is any indication, children of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades tend to have very rocky relationships. And for him to actually stand up for you is quite contrary to that almost primal instinct to hate each other."

"Yeah, well he really needs to just be grateful for once." I grumble and pick at the bedframe. "I mean, I did what I felt I had to, and he gets mad at me for it."

Dad sits on my bed and strokes my hair. "Maybe he felt guilty that he was in such a state that forced you to make that choice."

"He didn't force me to I made the choice myself. Why should he feel guilty for my choices?"

"Oh sweetie." Dad kisses my hair and sighs. "If Annabeth risked her life to help me recover from an injury faster, I would probably get mad at her too."

I glare at Dad and roll my eyes. "You two are married, it's obviously different. Me and him have a kind of rocky…" I frown and try to put a name to the relationship we have. "Okay, I actually don't know what kind of relationship we have, but it's something after acquaintances, but before friends. I don't know what to call that."

"Hah!" Dad laughs. "That is a very typical start to a friendship here. I guess you would call it the "I'm getting to know my cousin" stage of the friendship."

That's when the family relation hits me. "Wait a minute. Doesn't that mean that everyone here is related? How are there married couples? Isn't that incest?"

Dad shakes his head. "The dating rules here are pretty lenient. Two campers from the same cabin don't date, but other than that, it's free game across the camp. Though the Hunters of Artemis are off limits, but that's a whole other deal."

"So Chiron is okay with people dating?"

Dad's smile turns a bit odd. "Well yes, provided that they don't go and break the "two campers can't be alone in a cabin" rule. Though that rule really only applies to people off duty. Nico and Kai can be in a cabin alone together because they are siblings, same with us because you're my daughter. But there has been more than one case where the rule has been the ammunition for teasing."

"So…how often does the rule get broken?" I raise an eyebrow, refusing to believe that a bunch of teenagers would follow that rule. The older campers, and the younger one, sure. But there is no way that the teenaged campers here wouldn't sneak into an empty cabin to make out. "And don't try to lie to me, I'm smarter than that."

Dad smiles and laughs. "I suppose you are. And as for the rule. I'm not sure, but I would guess that it gets broken at least once or twice a day. But it seems to work well enough that only rarely does one of the younger girls end up pregnant. Then again, the ones breaking the rules might just be trying to be careful."

"I've broken the rule." I stare at the opposite wall, trying to avoid Dad's searching eyes. "I've been alone with Kai in the Hades cabin. Though I'm sure that you know that. It's not like I did anything wrong, I was just there because he can't seem to get to the infirmary when he gets injured."

"Yes, I know." Dad smiles. "But you did it with the best intentions, and nothing intimate seems to have happened. Because of that, no one has raised any objections."

I give him a flat glare. "Aren't I too young for that stuff anyway?"

"Ahaha, I guess that's true." Dad suddenly looks a bit somber. "But there is something I want you to see. Can you be at the archery range after breakfast? There won't be anyone there since there aren't any classes until ten."

"Fine." I give up and get up to change. "I suppose it won't be archery skill since you can't shoot. I heard about the incident with Chiron's tail."

I look back at him and see him laughing hard. He wipes a tear from his eye and nods. "Yes, well that's why Sam teaches you instead of me." He gets to his feet and straightens his clothes. "So be there after breakfast, this is quite important." Then he walks out the door to go to breakfast himself.

After I finish changing, I join Dad at the Poseidon table in the dining pavilion. Though halfway through, he goes off to meet Chiron about something. I finish my breakfast in silence, completely aware of the many pairs of eyes on me.

* * *

As promised, I make my way to the archery range after breakfast. I'm sure that Dad said to meet there because of the abundance of Apollo campers. And when I get there, I see a guy with dark brown hair. He is even taller than Kai, probably five foot five, a hundred and thirty five pounds, judging by the amount of muscle that I can see on his arms. Fourteen years old. He is holding a bow, but when he fires it, the arrow wobbles and doesn't even make it to the target.

I walk up to the range and grab the curved bow from the rack. I take a single arrow and aim carefully. I release the arrow and it zooms down the range, hitting the center of the target with a dull thud. I put the bow back and see the guy staring at me.

"Quite a good aim that you're showing off." He grins and jogs up. "Feel like giving me a few tips?"

I look him up and down, then notice the four beads on his camp necklace. "If you've been here four summers and still can't shoot, I doubt that there is anything I can do to help you, except maybe tell you to back off before I point this bow at you."

He holds his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I can understand your suspicion, but hold your fire, I'm a friend." His smile is one that could win him a few contests, and his blue eyes look like liquid lightning bolts. "Your dad told me to be here."

I keep the bow readied. "Can you prove it? I'm running a little low on trust, so forgive me if I don't take your word for it."

He nods and puts his hand down slowly. "My name is Will McGrant, son of Zeus. Your dad told me that if you were immediately suspicious of me, that I should tell you that he is sorry for letting your grandpa drop a wave on you."

I lower my bow immediately and put it back in the rack. "Alright, talk."

His smile fades like he has a dimmer switch installed. "Percy is worried about you, especially since your recent run-in with trouble. He asked me to meet you."

I immediately understand what my dad wants. "So, that's how it's going to be?" I glare at him. "If I'm seen hanging out with you, then the other campers will be less likely to openly resent me. That, in turn, will keep me safe. But what it also does is make me feel coddled." I march down the range and rip the arrow out of the target.

He walks up behind me and puts his hands in his pockets. "You know, coddling is what parents do. But your dad has good reason to want this."

"Did you say that your name Will McGrant?" A spark of recognition leaps through me. "As in the same person that seems to seriously piss off Kai?"

"Yes he is." Kai marches up to us and puts himself between us. "What do you want with her McGrant?" The look on Kai's face is of anger and resentment. "You getting involved in anything means that you either get something out of it, or you're just bored."

"Percy asked me to." Will stops slouching and stands up straight to look down on Kai, having a good couple of inches on him. "Is there a rule that says that I'm not allowed to do a favor for one of the camp counselors? He wants to make sure that his daughter is protected."

The snarl on Kai's face almost makes him look like a dog whose tail has been stepped on. "In that case, why don't you just leave it to me? I can protect her just fine now that I know what's going on. So why don't you go back to being the camp prince."

Will smiles, but it seem rather condescending to me. "Well if I'm the prince of the camp, then it looks like the little princess has a knight of her own. Not a very good knight, considering the incident I just heard about. If I hadn't been running late, I would have arrived in time to stop all of this from having happened."

With the two of them getting into a heated argument, I notice Sam down the range, so I walk past them and take my bow back off the rack. I jog over to Sam with a quiver on my back and I smile at him. "Mind if I join you? The knight and the prince over there are fighting over a princess who could outshoot both of them."

Sam grimaces in irritation. "They could at least get off the range and take their fight somewhere else. Distracting the ones firing deadly projectiles is a bad idea. One of these days, they're going to get themselves skewered."

I smile evilly and get a brilliant idea. "Then let's see how good my aim is now." And with Sam looking at me in horror, I aim my bow with a nocked arrow at the two idiots and let the arrow fly. It zooms towards them at incredible speed and flies right between them, inches from their faces. I nock another arrow as the two of them look at me in shock. "You two might want to get off the range, unless you want to get turned into porcupines. But if you feel like joining the rodent population, I'm sure that Sam and I can make that happen."

I can feel Sam rolling his eyes behind me. "I would prefer you to call it acupuncture instead of turning them into porcupines. The girls from the Hecate cabin might be able to make the rodent thing possible. But I don't know if Chiron would be pleased if these two got turned into animals."

"Oh come on, I've always wanted pets, but Dad keeps saying that they're boring." I smirk at the boys. "So what's it going to be? Are you going to get an acupuncture treatment, get turned into pets, or get off the field? Because I want to get to practice, and you two are distracting."

They both gulp loudly, forcing me to hold down a snicker. Then Will holds up his hands. "Alright…we'll take our argument somewhere else. I, for one, don't really want to be a porcupine for Halloween."

"Hmph, that's probably how long it would take you to get the arrows out." Kai turns away from Will and stubbornly walks away, not wanting to continue what seemed like a pointless, and potentially dangerous conversation.

Once the two distractions are well out of sight, I turn back to Sam. "So, do you feel like finding out how fast I can shoot now?"

Sam grins and pulls a stopwatch out of his pocket. "On three?"

I smirk and hold up my bow. "Three."

Ten minutes and a hundred arrows later, my arms are sore. So I put the bow away and trudge back to my cabin for a much-needed nap. I kick the door shut behind me, and collapse onto my bed, quickly snuggling into the warn sheets and drifting off to sleep.

* * *

 **Author's Note: This is as far as I've made it in this story, but I'm working on it, along with a few other projects, so I'll be updating again soon, hopefully once or twice a week. But I'm also participating in NaNoWriMo, so I'll be dedicating a lot of time to that as well. But as always, I'll be keeping my notebooks with me at all times in case inspiration hits. I also plan to do all of this like the original Percy Jackson format, which is to say multiple summers, all with their own problems. So I hope that everyone who reads this far likes this, and I'll do my best to write faster.**


	10. Lava Wall of Doom

After another fun breakfast, full of grilled cheese sandwiches and sausages, I sneak out of Dad's sight and run off towards the Apollo Cabin, where Sam and I arranged to meet after our little archery contest yesterday.

As soon as I see his shockingly golden blond hair, I skid to a stop and manage to not crash into him. "Am I late?"

"Nope, you're early." Sam chuckles with amusement before patting me on the back. "I was just getting back from breakfast when you came running up." His smile turns into an almost evil grin. "Now, what do you think about doing some rock climbing?"

"Um…I've never tried it before, but sure?" And already, I have no idea what I'm getting myself into. Sam just drags me away from the cabins and off towards a tall structure off in the distance.

As we get closer, I see what Sam means by rock climbing, and my stomach starts to turn itself in knots. What I see is a climbing wall, like the ones at gyms. But this climbing wall is nothing like I've ever seen. The first thing I notice is the red-hot streams of lava pouring down the sides. That's a serious hazard if I've ever seen one. And to make matters worse, the two walls face each other, and they're both shaking like there's an earthquake happening. And we're not supposed to get earthquakes here.

To my horror, Sam points at the walls and smiles. "Those are our rock climbing walls. And that's what we're going to be doing today."

I stare at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. "You've got to be kidding me. You want me to climb that deathtrap?" I throw my hands up and point fervently at the flowing, molten rock. "What idiot even designed that? Climbing that is going to kill me!"

Sam shrugs like it's no big deal. "Well, typically no one gets too badly hurt. But that's why I'm here. With me around, even if someone gets hurt, I can always do some fast first-aid. Besides, if anything bad happens to you, I can just drag you over to the river and dunk you in it."

My eyes twitches as my brain tries to find a way to contradict Sam's claims. I just really don't want to climb a wall with friggin magma running down it. I mean, what kind of middle school kids do this?

 _Oh right…demi-gods._

"Sam. If you die, I'm going to write idiot in big bold letters on your tombstone. I'll take one of my swords and I'll carve it like a relief."

Despite my serious tone, he laughs and shakes his head. "Ciara, we use burial shrouds here. It's a Greek thing. I mean, we do have a graveyard, but we don't have those big stone tombstones that you're thinking of. We rarely use that place."

I roll my eyes and huff impatiently. "Fine, then I'll learn how to sew and I'll sew it onto your shroud. Athena is the goddess of arts and crafts, right? Then I should be able to learn how to sew quickly enough to sew it on there before we bury you or bury you, or whatever you guys do with the dead here."

"Alright, then why don't you give the climbing wall a try before you permanently label it as a deathtrap?"

I glare sourly at Sam. "Fine. But if I die, I'm going to make Nico use his weird death magic to summon up my spirit just so that I can torture you for the next month."

"Fair enough." Sam pushes me towards the wall insistently. "Now come on, let's go. I've done this plenty of times, so I'll show you how to climb it without getting yourself killed."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? She might fall off out of sheer fright." That voice grates on my ears. It's not unpleasant, I just get really annoyed with the one it belongs to. And I glance over my shoulder to see Will standing there with a wide smile on his face. "Hello Ciara. I'm glad that you didn't decide to turn me into a porcupine yesterday."

I grumble and glare at him. "Don't taunt me, I'm still debating it."

"I thought that I heard an argument starting over here." My head snaps around immediately at the sound of Kai's voice. And lo and behold, there he is, leaning against a tree not too far from the climbing walls. "Sam, I hope that you know that if something happens to her, I'm taking it out on your head. And at least set the walls to the lowest level first."

At first, I was hoping that Kai would get me out of this mess. I'm a little disappointed, but at least now I'm less likely to die of being burned or crushed to death. "Lowest level sounds good. Preferably without any of the lava or shaking. I've never actually done any rock climbing before, so I think I just need to learn how to climb up a wall before we add any of the…accessories."

"Fine, but you're still going to be climbing this with me every day." Sam pushes me ever closer to the climbing walls, before heading over to some kind of control panel sticking out of the ground.

Thankfully, the lava stops pouring over the sides, and the walls stop shaking. But they're still a couple of pretty high walls, and I see no harnesses. Now, I'm not afraid of heights. Not too fond of planes, since they make me feel like I want to throw up, and like I'm being squished by a giant boot. But flying around on a Pegasus doesn't bother me, and they fly way higher than these walls.

Still, I don't like the look of this…I just know that if I make one wrong move, I'm going to die, but Sam won't let me back out.

And so begins my descent into Hades…


	11. A New Teacher

**Sorry for not updating, it's been a crazy month. I've had three midterms, five quizzes, four assignments, three essays, four seminars and two discussion classes. Meaning, a whole hell of a lot of homework. Plus, I wrote an 80k word novel for National Novel Writing Month. It's been rough, but finals are coming up, which means that I should have a lot more time to write. I've got a scrapbook project to finish over the weekend, but I'm going to get a chapter up for both stories.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

* * *

I collapse onto my bed a week later, nursing sore muscles and wounded pride. After climbing the lava wall nineteen times, with each success resulting in it being changed to a harder setting, and nearly dying several times, Sam dragged me off to the archery range to practice until my fingers nearly started to bleed. It's been six days of torture, and those two idiots have been too busy making scary faces at each other to realize that Sam has been torturing me half to death.

The door to the cabin opens and I groan as I pull my covers over my head. "Dad, go away! I don't want to practice anymore."

I get no response, but a heavy weight presses into my bed, and a hand rests on my side, barely pressing through the blanket. "Hey Ciara, I heard about your tough week."

 _That's not Dad!_ I whip the blankets off my head and sit up to see Nico sitting on my bed, smiling wryly. "Nico!"

He grins at me. "Good to see you too. I heard that you've been practicing hard. Three runs of the lava wall each day, two hours of archery before lunch, and two after supper? Sounds like a serious regime they've got you on."

I groan and hide my face. "You have no idea. I don't know if it's Dad's idea, Mom's, or just Sam, but it's going to kill me. I swear that all of this training is going to kill me."

"Well I sure hope not. The last thing I want is to have to escort my own goddaughter to the Underworld." Nico's laugh is a bit too light for his dark sense of humor. Not that I should expect anything different from a son of Hades. Dark humor seems to be their thing.

I pull my head back up to look at him. "Yeah, well it's no thanks to your brother. If he cared at all, then he would save me from Sam. But all he and that Will have been doing is snarling at each other for the past week. Never in front of me, not after I threatened to turn them into hedgehogs. But still, it makes me so mad."

Nico pats my head gently, ruffling my hair. "Well, then how about you take a break from all of that climbing and archery, and come spar with me. I could show you a few things that your dad would never teach you."

My face scrunches at the thought of going out for training again, but it can't possibly be worse than the training I've done with Sam, so I nod and get out of bed. But first, I pay a visit to the bathroom, and I run water over my hands, watching carefully as the blisters become soft skin again, and all of the scratches and burns and bruises I've gained over the last week heal before my eyes.

Once I'm feeling less sore, I turn off the taps and walk to my bed, pulling my special box out, and sliding on the bracelets, necklace, earrings and anklets that make up my armor and weapons. "Alright, I'm ready for anything you can throw at me." I grin at Nico eagerly. "And please, if Sam drags me off for archery practice again, come rescue me. I would rather practice with a sword than with a bow. I'm already fine with a bow. It's my swordplay that needs the most work."

Nico chuckles and rises from my bed. "I'll take that under consideration. I'm usually out of the camp, looking for half-blood kids across the country, but I'll see what I can do about getting you out of archery practice while I'm in camp."

"Thank you." I grab Nico's hand and head for the door. "Now let's go. I want to be gone by the time Sam comes here to look for me."

"Alright, alright…" He follows along behind me, smiling with amusement. "Do you at least know what kind of skills you want to learn first?"

"Hmm…" It takes me a minute to think about it. "Something that will help me beat Kai the next time I duel him. He went easy on me last time. And next time, I want to fight without using any special abilities. No cracks in the ground, and no tsunamis in the arena."

"Fair enough. You'll win more respect that way. And the more the others respect you, the less likely they'll be to pull a stunt like last week again." Nico shakes his head with a sigh. "I really don't want to see a repeat of that."

That sure shuts me up pretty good. _I don't want to see a repeat of that either. Kai could have died if I hadn't helped him. But it's my fault that he got involved in the first place. He should never have been involved. That was supposed to be my fight, not his._ "I need to be stronger if I'm going to stop that from happening ever again. I need to prove that I don't need to depend on others to fight my battles for me."

Another light chuckle escapes Nico. "Well, I don't know about that. That pillar of water after the fight was pretty impressive. I don't think anyone will be underestimating you again in the near future. Especially not after the look I saw on Percy's face. He almost looked angry enough to kill." He soon grows a little solemn. "It's been a long time since I've seen a look like that on his face."

I'm not sure if I want to know the story behind the last time that Nico saw a look like that coming from Dad. But one thing is for certain, at least in my eyes. "I can't rely on Dad's reputation to protect me. I have to be able to protect myself. Even if the campers stop messing with me, that doesn't mean that others won't try. And if all those myths I've heard about are real, then I doubt that a hydra or a cyclops will care who Dad is. They'll just try even harder to kill me if they know."

"You've heard the stories?" Nico's voice gets a little tight as we approach the arena. "Just remember that Percy is held up on a pedestal. The stories about him are going to be exaggerated and fanciful. If you try to live up to them, then you'll find yourself resenting him. It's something all too common here. Especially since we're the children of gods."

I stop right in front of the arena gates, and I release Nico's hand. "That's why I have to be stronger. I don't want to be compared to Dad. I know that I will be, I'm not stupid, I can see it in the others. They're always talking about what their parents, or their older siblings have done. They talk about it around the campfire, and in the dining pavilion, and all around the Big House. I've even heard about the trophies that are all gathering dust up there. But I don't want to be like that. I don't want to be compared to them. I just want to be myself, is that too much to ask?"

Nico pats my shoulder with a smile. "No, it's reasonable that you would want something like that, many of us do. It's just a fate that's hard to escape. They key is to make yourself different. But don't do it by not being yourself, do it by being true to your heart, by making decisions that you can be proud of. Only then will you feel like you're the one who accomplished something. Look only at the past to avoid the mistakes that others have made, and look to the future to decide the path that you will take. That's all the advice I can offer you on that." He puts his hand on the handle of his pure black sword. "But, in there, there's a whole new kind of advice that I can give you. And I promise that you'll like it."

Excitement wells up inside me as anticipation for practice builds. "Then let's do this. I want to learn how to beat Kai. That's my first objective. After that, it's beating Will."

Nico draws his sword and twirls it around, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Will? You mean Will McGrant? Why would you want to duel him?"

My laugh comes out more like a growl. "Maybe because he annoys me? Things were going just fine, and Kai was finally talking to me. But then Will showed up and made a mess of everything. Here I thought that I was finally making another friend, and this guy just shows up out of the blue. And he seems to think that I need protection. Well, I'm going to prove him wrong. And the best way to do that, to prove it to all three of them, is to get good enough to beat them." I touch my wrists together, and the bracelets expand, growing to dozens of times their original size as leather and steel armor covers my body. "So, I'm going to get stronger, and I'm going to prove that I'm stronger than they think I am."

Nico levels his sword and points it at me. "Good, then you've got the motivation you need. Now, we'll see how long you can keep up. Remember, I'm one of Percy's sparring partners, I can go toe to toe with your dad. I'll go easy on you, but that doesn't mean that these sessions are going to be easy. Are you prepared for that?"

I grin and shake with excitement. "Definitely. Bring it on, Nico!"

A smirk curls his lips as he makes the first swing of his sword, marking the beginning of my pseudo-apprenticeship with the older son of Hades.


	12. Training with Nico

I breathe quickly, catching my breath after yet another round of getting my butt handed to me by Nico. I know that he's one of Dad's sparring partners and all, but I wasn't expecting him to make me look so much like a child. He's got to be some kind of sword master. _Where the hell did he train?_

"Come on Ciara!" Sam cheers me on from the arena stands, here to watch me spar with Nico since I've been avoiding him for two days. Hey, it's not my fault that Sam was so archery crazy that he gave my blisters blisters…

Nico grins at me. "Eyes on me or you're going to get hurt." He levels his pitch black sword at me, and it glitters darkly in the bright summer sun.

I groan a little. "Maybe it would be easier to keep my eyes on you if I wasn't staring into the sun half the time. Why couldn't we do this earlier, or later? Why does it have to be just after lunchtime?" I twist my own swords back towards him, ready to block whatever attack he decides to hit me with next. "Aren't you supposed to, I dunno, hate the afternoon?"

"Oh, you mean because of the whole Hades thing?" Nico smirks. "Well, I used to, but I've gotten used to it." He winks slyly at me. "When you're in a relationship with one of Apollo's sons, you tend to get used to it."

I flush with embarrassment at the memory of accidentally walking in on Nico and Will in the Hades cabin earlier. They were…well I can breathe underwater no problem, but I can't understand how either of them were able to breathe at all, the only water involved was from the showers, or shower, they must have just taken. My cheeks heat up, no doubt turning me into nothing short of a brown-haired strawberry. Then I growl angrily at my embarrassment. "I'm the one who walked in on you two! Why are you the one teasing me about it? Besides, if you're going to be making out, hang a sock or something on the door so that no one comes walking in! Honestly, what a pain!"

Nico chuckles, forgetting that he's probably supposed to be wailing on me by this point. "You're so easy to tease. It reminds me of when Kai first arrived here. He would always get so flustered. But at least it would put some color into his face, he was a lot paler as a kid."

Before I can make a snappy remark about that at Kai's expense, a familiar, grumbling voice echoes across the arena. "Could you not tell her stories from eight years ago? I'm not a kid anymore, Nico." Kai walks down one row of the stands, hands in his pockets and a sour look on his face. "And she's right, you need to start hanging a sock on the door, or build yourself a room inside the cabin. People seem to have a bad habit of just walking right in, and unlike me, they're not used to seeing the two of you goofing around."

Having Kai here only adds to my embarrassment. And to make it even worse, there is no hint of embarrassment on his face, leaving me the only one red and flustered. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be off bickering with Will? It's all the two of you have been doing for the past week and a half."

His lips pucker, like he ate something really sour. "Even I can get tired of arguing with someone. Besides, he's probably off flirting with the girls. Last I saw him, he was being chased by the barbies from the Aphrodite cabin. Luckily for me, they ran right past me and straight for him. I hate dealing with them."

For a moment, I forget my embarrassment and stifle a laugh. _Barbies? Did he really just call them that? Gods, I should have thought of that joke earlier, it's so appropriate._ But, on the bright side, at least it should be calm here for a while. Kai doesn't usually say much unless it's important, or he's pissed. So if he's going to stay and watch, he'll definitely be a quiet observer. Unlike Sam, who can't seem to get enough of being my personal cheerleader. But Kai's comments also intrigue me a little. "Oh? And what happens when you have to deal with them?"

He glares at me irritably. "They always say that I've got a scary look on my face, and that I should smile more. And that if I got a tan, I'd probably be cute. Well, I don't want to be cute, and my skin is dark enough as is. Besides, I always look like this, and smiling isn't going to help."

I frown a little. _Actually, smiling does help. You look less scary when you smile. Though right now you just look like you bit into an unripe grapefruit._ "Have you ever thought that you should listen to their opinions once in a while? They may have some violent boyfriends in the Ares cabin, but they still have the best fashion sense in the camp." I smirk a little. "Maybe they could get you out of some of that black."

Kai rolls his eyes. "I happen to like black. And the last time those girls got hold of me, I couldn't leave the cabin for a month."

Sam starts laughing hard. "Oh gods, I remember that! They dressed you up in pastel colors and hid all of your clothes! And Nico's clothes wouldn't fit you, so you had to wait for a delivery of your clothes from L.A."

"Hm…I can see that you're getting rather side-tracked." Nico sheathes his sword and walks towards me. "How about we pick this up again tomorrow when you're a little more focused."

I frown at him. "Can we do it later in the afternoon? I hate it when the sun gets into my eyes."

Nico chuckles amusedly. "Alright, how about four instead of one? That should give the sun plenty of time to go down, and the arena walls should block most of the direct sunlight by that time. Does that sound good?"

I smile and nod eagerly. "That sounds perfect. And next time, I'm totally going to beat you!"

He ruffles my hair with a smile. "We'll see. You've still got a long way to go, but you've got plenty of natural talent. So you'll be able to hold your own soon enough. I'll go tell Percy that we've changed the time. Maybe now he'll have time to come watch, instead of having to teach the master swordsmanship class."

"Mhmm, that sounds nice…" I saunter over to the stands, where Sam is waiting for me with some water, and a mouth full of eager conversation. I lounge around the arena a while longer, downing a few bottles of water that help with healing the bruises that Nico gave me during this training session, and chatting with Sam about all the moves he saw me do while training with Nico. The sun is finally starting to sink below the rim of the arena. It's still plenty bright out, but at least now the sun isn't shining in my eyes. And over on the other side of the arena with one of the practice dummies is Kai, swinging his sword at it mercilessly. I make sure to observe a little of that as well, since I might see something that could help me with my own swordsmanship.

Sam sits beside me, almost bouncing in his seat, and his normally glowing smile grows even brighter than before. "Hey, I've got an idea. Since you've been training so hard lately, why don't we have a little tournament? Me, you, Kai and Will. That way, we can see who's the strongest out of the four of us. And it'll give you a chance to beat up Will for treating you like a kid!"

I grin eagerly at Sam's suggestion. "That sounds perfect! Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's get this little tournament started and see which of the four of us is the strongest!" Sam grins right back at me and runs straight out of the arena and towards the cabins, no doubt to go and fetch Will for this little contest.

Kai glances over and shakes his head at me. "I hope you realize that you're going to lose. Don't be in such a hurry to start when you're the least experienced one here. I mean, I'm all for seeing Will have his ass handed to him, but I seriously doubt that you're going to be able to do it."

I shrug easily. "Doesn't matter, I'm a fast learner. And besides, I have to know whether or not I've really picked up everything that Nico has been trying to teach me."

"Your funeral…" Kai sits back down on the arena wall as we wait for Sam to return with Will. Once the two of them get back, this little contest is going to take off.

 _And I'm totally going to show them how strong I really am!_


	13. Four Way Tourney

**Sorry for the really late update. Been swamped with homework since the school term started, and it's been a nightmare. Backed up on about half a dozen chapter readings, and I've got two essays and a lab report due in the next couple of weeks.**

 **Plus, I suck at writing fight scenes. So I'm doing my best here.**

* * *

Kai and I end up sitting around for ten minutes, doing absolutely nothing. Kai won't even talk to me, he's just fuming. And since it's seriously hot out, and I can't stand being in my armor in this heat, I put it away until Sam comes running back into the arena with Will. "Sorry! It took me a while to find him, he was over on the basketball court giving some of the Hermes guys a hard time!"

Will raises a hand in greeting. "Hello Ciara." Then his eyes fix on Kai. "So, you're actually going to participate? Hoping to have your ass kicked? Or are you hoping to get an easy workout first? Just between you and me, you're going to be eating dirt."

Kai glares right back at Will, his eyes filled with hostility. "We'll see soon enough who's going to end up in the dirt. And I have a feeling that it's not going to be me."

I roll my eyes and get to my feet. "Can we just get this started? I'm itching for a fight that isn't with Nico. I've got enough bruises from him already."  
"Be careful what you wish for." Will smirks at me condescendingly. "Unless you're dueling Sam in the first round, I wouldn't count on walking away without bruises, little lady."

 _Shows what you know._ And of course, he's the one I want to put in his place first. I turn to Sam, a slight smirk on my face. "Alright, so how are we deciding the rounds?"

Sam pulls four sticks out of his pocket, though I have no idea how he's so prepared for this. "Simple. The sticks each have a colored end, two are red, two are blue. Blues pair off for the first match, reds for the second. Any questions?"

"Nope." And without a moment of hesitation, Kai is the first to pick out one of the sticks. He takes one look at it, expressionless. "I've got blue, looks like I'm going first."

Sam looks at Kai reproachfully. "I was going to offer it to Ciara first. Jeez, don't you know that you're supposed to let ladies go first?"

He rolls his eyes, scoffing loudly. "Like she cares about going first. Besides, she's hardly a lady if she's going to be tumbling in the mud with the rest of us. Now hurry up and pick."

I sigh and take on of the sticks from Sam's hand. "He's right, I don't really care. And don't call me a lady." I look at the color of the stick. "Red. Alright, so which of you two am I fighting?"

Will reaches for the sticks in Sam's fist, drawing out one so quickly that I can't see the color on the end of it. He takes one look at it and smirks. "Well, seems like I'll have an easy first round." He reveals the color on the stick, and it's red.

But instead of scaring me off, I'm excited. "Oh, looks like I'll get the chance to thrash both of you. Good, I've been wanting to show you a few things." The glare I direct at Will is a little too eager, but I don't care. "And once I get through you, I can finally have a rematch with Kai."

"Counting your chickens already?" Will smirks at me, really believing that this is going to be an easy win. "You may be Percy's little girl, but you're still a little girl with almost no training. No amount of natural talent is going to help you beat me. But I promise to go easy on you."

I laugh and shake my head. "See, that's the thing. When I first fought Kai, he went easy on me. And I think he ended up regretting it. Don't underestimate me just because I'm a girl."

Will smiles his stupid, condescending smile at me. "And don't overestimate yourself. I've been here for four years, and I was trained by Jason. Your lack of experience is what's going to trip you up here."

I just shoot him a glare as I realize what this pairing means. "Well, I don't envy Sam, he gets to fight Kai first."

Sam laughs nervously, glancing at Kai. "Please go easy on me. I'm better with bows, not swords."

Kai turns around, walking towards the stands. "Fine, but I'm still going to bruise you at least. You won't learn anything if I go too easy on you." He picks up his armor and starts fastening it around his arms, legs, and torso. "Get your armor on, this is going to hurt more if you don't."

Sam makes a noise that sounds half like a nervous laugh, and half like a groan. "I'm so not looking forward to this."

I pat Sam on the back and smile. "Don't worry, he'll probably go easy on you anyway. Besides, you're the healer. How much damage can he possibly do?"

"As a son of Hades…probably a lot." Sam mutters is almost under his breath. "If I survive this, I swear on the Styx that I won't make you climb the lava wall anymore."

I snicker and push him towards his pile of armor. "I'll hold you to it!"

Sam shakes his head as he puts on his armor, strapping on the golden bronze armor. I've seen a few of his siblings wearing similar armor. Must be the style of the Apollo cabin. No one else wears armor quite like that.

* * *

Kai is ready to go, and Sam finishes getting his armor together. And though his first instinct seems to be to reach for a bow, he picks up his sword instead, since these are going to be close-combat fights. Though interestingly, neither of them are choosing to use shields. _They must be pretty confident in their abilities of blocking and dodging. I mean, everyone's seen Kai fight, he's definitely fast on his feet. And I know that Sam is pretty fast as well…_

"Looks like those two are going to dance." Will smirks at the two of them, rather condescendingly in my opinion. He nods over towards the stands. "We should sit down to watch their recital."

I huff angrily and glare at him. "You know, this superiority act of yours is getting really old. You bring a whole new meaning to the word cocky." And with that, I turn away from him and walk over to the wall of the stands, sitting down on it, and watching as the fight begins. And I ignore Will as he sits down on the wall, not far from me.

Kai and Sam face each other in the middle of the arena, standing still, but ready. Sam seems a little more uncertain about holding his weapon, whereas Kai, seems perfectly comfortable with the weapon in his hand.

It must be Kai's style, or maybe just his seemingly cautious nature, but he lets Sam make the first move. Sam springs forward, aiming a strike at Kai's shoulder. Seems like they've decided that head shots are off limits. Good, the last thing we need is someone getting their head chopped off.

But as Kai moves, his eyes stay fixed on a single point. And despite the disadvantage that it should give him, he blocks the strike easily, flicking it away from his shoulder with a simple wrist movement. Sam gets frustrated easily, and tries again, aiming his lunges and slashes differently, hoping to find a weak spot in Kai's guard. But each and every time, Kai either blocks the sword directly, or smacks Sam's arms hard enough to stop him in his tracks. The black sword slices through the air like it's made of shadows. I doubt that anything could stop it.

I watch him with rapt attention. _Incredible…he can make a move without letting his eyes give away. He must have learned that from Nico._ And true enough, one of my frustrations while training with Nico was being unable to use his eyes as a way to tell which way he intended to strike. On the other hand, Nico had no such difficulty with me.

Kai baits Sam into approaching him, a tactic that he seems to favor. Seems like he's being a bit too careful. _What's he up to…?_ I've haven't seen anyone fight the same way as him, so I haven't had a chance to really figure out what kind of style he uses.

Sam charges at Kai, swinging his sword in a shining arc, slicing it through the air just inches from Kai's chest. But it doesn't seem to concern Kai in the least, and he leans back, dodging it lazily. And for some reason, the way that he makes it look so easy is what worries me the most.

My worries come to fruition in a split second. Sam swings his sword at Kai, using another wide arc. And almost faster than I can see, Kai slips his hand up the hilt of his sword, grasps it with his other hand, and swings his sword so hard that when it connects with Sam's sword, the shining bronze weapon is torn from his grip with a deafening clang and sent flying across the arena, right into the stands.

Kai takes three quick steps, hooks one leg behind Sam, and jerks it backwards, unbalancing Sam and sending him crashing to the ground. I wince a little at the sight. Well, he did promise Sam that there were going to be bruises. Looks like Kai is definitely keeping that promise.

Kai's sword is pointed down at Sam's throat, still, but in a menacing position. He's forcing a surrender. And Sam seems more than willing to give it to him. "Yield! Yield! I yield!" He drops his hands to the ground and lies flat on his back. "I give up…"

I could swear that I see a smirk on Kai's face as he draws back his sword. "Told you that I would give you bruises." He holds his hand out to Sam and pulls him to his feet.

Seeing those two, I smile. _Hmph, you may act all tough on the outside, but you're really a big softie, aren't you?_ Because despite his outward hostility, Kai isn't really as bad as people seem to think he is. And in the corner of my vision, I see Will walk off to start putting on his armor, readying himself for the next match. Our match.

* * *

Sam walks over, moaning and groaning and trying to pry off his armor. "Damn, that hurts…" He winces as he gets the breastplate off. "Remind me never to challenge him to a duel, ever."

I cover my mouth and snicker quietly. "Sure, I'll try to make sure that you never tick him off enough to warrant a duel." I glance at Kai, who walks over and sits down, still in his armor. "So, who do you think is going to be your next opponent?"

He looks at me, his eyes travel up and down, before fixing almost blankly on my eyes. "Probably Will, but good luck anyway. You'll need it."  
I scowl at him irritably. "Thanks for the vote of confidence…"

"Hey, you asked me what I think, and frankly, I doubt that you're good enough to beat him outright." He clasps his hands together and his eyes travel to where Will is putting on his armor. "Then again, I doubt that you could beat me outright. But you still gave me a hard time, taking me by surprise. So it's not as though you can't win. You just have to get the jump on him."

Ugh…forget it, you're not a softie, you're a pain. "Right… But I think the point I'm trying to prove is that it's bad to underestimate me." I cross my arms and glare a bit at him. "And for that, I need to beat him, then you."

Kai closes his eyes and leans back, lounging lazily in the stands. "Yeah…whatever…"

I huff with impatience and irritation. _And to think, you had such a good attitude until now…_ I turn my back on him and look towards the middle of the arena, where I'm finally going to get my chance to knock some of that arrogance out of Will. And maybe give him a thrashing if I'm lucky.

 _I don't care if you are more experienced than me…you're not getting away with treating me like I'm five. And you won't be so quick to underestimate me after this._

It's time for my sun-up to sun-down training with Nico to start paying off a little.


	14. Sea and Sky

**Alright, so I've had a sudden epiphany and bursts of inspiration, and I finally have a really concrete idea of where I'm going now (well, I already had an idea, but more details have taken form). Still struggling with writing fights, but I'm pushing through it. Also, I'm going to be looking up as many horribly scary Greek monsters as possible. Like, the absolute creepiest and most disgusting ones I can find. Preferably poisonous.**

 **So, I'll be working on a few more chapters, despite the mountain of homework that I'm still contending with right now. You know, stress relief between assignments. Kind of cursing my geography and anthropology teachers for assigning so much of it to be due so quickly. Six assignments in one week is brutal.**

* * *

I walk out to the middle of the arena, watching Will walk towards me in full bronze armor, polished to perfection. He looks me up and down and frowns. "Well? Where's your armor? This isn't going to be much of a fight if you're thinking of doing this without weapons and armor. Unless you're planning on taking me on barehanded."

I tap my earrings irritably, since it really feels like he's insulting my intelligence in the friendliest way possible. "Of course I'm going to use my weapons and armor. Exactly how stupid do you think I am?" I tap the bracelets on my wrists together, and in seconds, my armor covers my clothes, and my twin swords appear in their sheath on my back. "Better?"

His eyes widen, and he nods. "Alright, I'm a little impressed. You must have gotten those toys from the undersea forges."

I nod and draw the sword from my back. "Yeah, Uncle Tyson outfitted me. Everything I'm wearing are his pet projects, the weapons included."

He watches as I hold the swords, still conjoined, in front of me with both hands. "I can't say much for his choice in weapons, a big sword like that isn't suited for you. Too bulky, and it'll set you completely off balance."

I smirk at Will. _You've got no idea…_ "You know what, you're right. A big, heavy sword like this really isn't a good fit for me." I click the button at the base of the sword, and it separates cleanly into two identical blades. "Does this fit me better?"

His eyes widen for a second, then he chuckles quietly. "Seems like appearances really are deceiving. You're just full of surprises, aren't you? This should make for an interesting warm-up."

"Remember what I said…don't count your chickens before they hatch." I sink lower, ready to move at a moment's notice.

This past week with Nico, I've been training hard on speed, mainly dodging. And Nico's way of doing that was to have me run around, avoiding him for hours, in full armor. His argument was that since I'm small, and a girl, I won't be able to put much power behind my strikes. So in order to make the most of what I have, I have to be fast, and able to take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself.

Will may have more experience than me, but it means nothing if I can catch him off guard. But really, all that I want to prove here is that I'm not as weak as he thinks I am. _I don't care if Dad asked him to watch out for me. I don't need protecting, I need to learn how to protect myself. Coddling me is only going to stop me from being able to do that._

What aggravates me is when he smiles at me. "Ladies first!" He motions with his blade, inviting me to make the first move. "Make it count."

This is far from how I wanted to start things off. I would have like to have seen him strike first, to get a feel for how he moves, not the other way around. But there's no point in complaining about it now. If he wants to see what I'm made of, then I'll be sure to show him what I've been working so hard to achieve. And I need to get through him to get to Kai. _And I'm not a lady._

I test out his reaction time with a quick lunge towards his left shoulder. He holds his sword in his right hand, so chances are that he's right handed. And as expected, he's got pretty fast reflexes. Faster than mine. He blocks the lunge easily, with a smirk crawling across his cocky face. "Not bad for a newbie, looks like you've been working hard."

But the moment of stillness doesn't last, and he swings his sword down towards my chest. I lean back quickly, letting the blade fall right past my armor, nearly scratching it. And I remember Nico's advice. _If you can dodge your opponent's strike, use the opening to get in a strike of your own. You've got two blades, so try to get in more than one. The more strikes you can attempt before you opponent gets their balance back, the more likely you are to score a decisive hit._

Stepping to the side, I slash at him first with the sword in my right hand, then the one in my left, forcing him to whip his sword back and forth to fend off the double sided attack. Unfortunately, he's still faster than I'd like him to be, which is a surprise, considering how much bigger he is, and how much heavier his armor is. He must have been training his endurance for a long time…

* * *

 ***Flashback***

"Come on, Ciara. You can get this." Nico smiles at me expectantly, swinging his sword around lazily. "Focus on your feet. Keep your balance, and remember to move on the balls of your feet, you'll have more mobility and speed that way. And don't forget to put pressure on your toes."

I'm bent over, huffing and puffing my brains out. "Yeah, I know. I'm trying, it's just…" I take a few more deeps breaths to steady myself. "I'm just not used to exercising for this long." It's only the second day, and I already feel like I'm going to drop dead. We've been at it for hours, and my armor feels heavy and hot, and I want to go jump in the lake.

"Well, get used to it. This is how you build endurance." His smile twists into a smirk. "Besides, Kai can go a lot longer than this, and his armor weighs more than yours does. This is how I trained him to move so fast. If you want to beat him, then you've got years of training to catch up on. Talent can only take you so far, now you need to put in the effort. You've got the flexibility, and the short bursts of speed that you need, now you need to be able to maintain that while wearing your armor, and with your weapons out. This is a whole new challenge."

He's right. I may have talent, but honestly, I've never put this much effort into something in my life. Not my gymnastics club, not my volleyball club, not even when I tried out track for a year and learned my sprinting skills. And putting effort into soccer during gym class was boring unless we played the older students. But nevertheless, a small fire burns inside me at the mention of his brother's name, pushing me back up to fight. _I'm not going to lose to him. When we have our rematch, I'm going to win. I won't let him go so easy on me again._

Nico swings his sword at me again, and I dodge to the left, giving me the chance to whip my swords around at his right side. He blocks my swords by pivoting ninety degrees, and swatting the silver blades away. "You need to be faster than that. Get closer to the ground, make your size your strength!"

Make my size my strength…

 ***Flashback End***

* * *

Our blades connect again, and now, I'm close enough to his face to see the little spots of light blue that dance around in his electric blue eyes. But his eyes are the least of his worries, because ending up in a battle of strength with him was never my intention. And if this keeps up, I'm not going to last long.

So I jump backwards, hopping back several meters so that I can get enough distance to get ready for another speedy attack. I'd love to whip out some waterworks right about now, but I just feel like I have to prove that I can fight, even without relying on Dad and Grandpa's extra powers.

Will closes the distance quickly, and as he slides towards me, I aim for his right hand. What throws me off is when he flicks his wrist around and whacks my left hand, hard. It feels like a million volts of electricity are shooting up and down my arm. At first, it stings painfully, before my hand goes numb and I lose my grip on the sword, along with all feeling up to my shoulder.

Forcing me to jump back again, Will makes me abandon the twin to the sword in my right hand. I growl with frustration. "Clever." _Now I can't get any distance. I have to rely on strength. Not what I wanted…_

"Thank you." He smiles at me, like he's having a great time messing with me. He moves directly between me and my fallen sword, making it clear that he's not going to let me pick it back up. "So, should we end this little fight now?"

I bite my lip and scoff angrily. "Sure."

With only one sword in my hand, and feeling slowly coming back to my left arm after he numbed it, I grasp the hilt with both hands, ready to put a little more power into my strikes. _I am not afraid of him. I will fight until one of us is on the ground._

Will changes his stance and points his sword at me. "Looks like it's going to be my win."

I take a deep breath and stay quiet, watching him as my fingers twitch and wrap tightly around the hilt resting between my palms. _Don't think that I'm going to make it easy. You may be older than me, but I don't care. I'm not going to give up now._

Will's sword comes streaking through the air, slamming into my sword as he tries to tear it free from my grip. But I use the force of his strike to spin my whole body around and strike right back at him from the other side, noticeably jolting his arm as he blocks the sword. His eyes widen a little. "Nice move, I wasn't expecting that."

I press hard against his weight as our swords stay locked together. "I'm guessing there's a few things about me that you weren't expecting. But if you think that I'm just going to give up, then you're wrong."

"I can see that." His eyes flick over me and his surprised expression is replaced by yet another smile. "You're better than I thought you were, I'll give you that. In fact, it's been a while since I've seen such a talented kid. But here's where the match ends."

The force pressing against me increases all of a sudden, and he starts forcing me back, pushing me so hard that my feet start making tracks in the dirt. I brace myself back on my right leg, trying to stop his progress, but it's no good. He's just so much bigger and stronger than me, that in a contest of strength, I've got no chance.

Seeing that my balance is off, he sweeps my front facing left leg out from under me, sending me crashing to the ground. And as soon as my grip on my sword loosens, he kicks it away, sending it spinning off towards where my other sword is lying in the dirt.

Will points his sword at my throat, panting a little, but grinning at me as he claims his victory. "Well, that was a good fight, a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be. Seems like Di Angelo taught you pretty well. But I win, so your little rematch is going to have to wait."

I glare sourly at him. "Guess so…" _Damn it…_

He puts his sword away with a chuckle and grabs hold of my arm, pulling me to my feet. "Well, you're definitely a lot stronger than I thought you'd be when I first saw you. Which means that you've obviously been in sports before, otherwise you wouldn't have picked up how to fight with a sword so quickly. And you're pretty strong for a twelve year old girl."

I turn away from him and pick my swords up out of the dirt. "Gymnastics since I was five, track for a year, soccer in gym class, and volleyball club after school." I press my swords together, sheathing them on my back, before tapping my wrists together and putting away my armor and weapons. " Mom and Dad wanted me to be able to burn off some of my extra energy. Stop me from running around the house like a wild child. Guess now I know why."

"Yeah…pitfalls of being a demigod. ADHD is not good for keeping kids quiet or calm." Will puts his hands on his hips and glances towards the stands. "Now go get Sam to patch you up. While you do that, I'll have that match with Death Breath over there."

His comment doesn't go unheard, because Kai looks up from cleaning his sword and scowls. "You sounds pretty eager considering you've got sparks for brains." These two have as antagonistic and hostile an air as ever. And right now, I'm smack dab in the middle of it. That's not a good place to be.

Kai hops off the wall, walking past me as I head for the stands. He looks proud and angry at the same time. And somehow, that combination does nothing to make the sinking feeling in my stomach go away. Somehow, I just get the feeling that something is going to go wrong.

* * *

 **Oh, and by the way, after the next chapter, there's going to be some mother-daughter bonding. Sort of. Annabeth is going to try and give her little girl some advice. It's...not going to work out too well. Should still be pretty funny though.**


	15. Final Round Disaster

**Late update, I know. I've just been swamped with classes and catching up on sleep, and other school stuff. Oh yeah, and finals are in a month. Yippee... On the bright side, I've got the next couple of chapters mostly written, so I should be able to update again soon. Oh, and more good news, I finally looked at one of my midterm marks from a while ago. 89%! *fistpump***

 **Anyway, time for some drama. And Annabeth shows up next chapter for some mother-daughter bonding. And a serious talk about boys. Or, an attempt at one at least.**

* * *

I sit down carefully on the low wall of the arena to watch Will and Kai. Though I'm still seething from the outcome of my match, I am looking forward to seeing these two fight it out. There's been this tension between them since Will showed up, and I kind of want to know why. This is probably the best way to find out.

In any case, after being thoroughly beaten by Will, my body aches all over. _I guess it serves me right for being cocky enough to think that I could beat someone with so much more training and experience than me._ I may have gotten the jump on him a few times, but I'll need more physical strength if I'm going to make up that difference. And that's going to take time and training, meaning more hours with Nico than I can probably handle. And maybe hitting puberty.

Sam rubs my back carefully, finding all of the bruises from when I hit the ground, and I hit it pretty hard. "Do you want me to treat these, or do you think that you can just heal them up with water?"

I shrug, which aggravates the bruises. "Water should work, but I can deal with the bruises later. I can handle a little discomfort for a while. Right now, I want to watch these two."

"Should be an interesting match." Sam sits down next to me, staring out at the middle of the arena. "After all, these two have had it in for each other for years."

"Why is that?" I haven't been here long enough to really know why these two seem to hate each other so much. Nico never really explained why Kai and Will would have a rivalry just because their fathers do.

Sam laughs nervously. "Well, I'm not entirely sure if it's because Will is the son of Zeus, and Kai is the son of Hades. Percy, Jason and Nico get along well enough, so the whole Big Three rivalry might not be the best explanation."

"Big Three rivalry again…?" I sigh in frustration. "Nico mentioned it, but he never really explained what that meant."

Sam frowns at me. "Didn't you read those old stories? Zeus, Poseidon and Hades have been pretty antagonistic towards each other ever since the war with the Titans thousands of years ago."

"Well, yeah, of course I've read the stories. But that doesn't explain why they still don't like each other. I mean, isn't a few thousand years enough time for them to get over it?" It makes perfect sense in my head, but somehow, logic seems to escape like sand through fingers.

The two of them stand there for a minute, not moving, just sizing each other up. Sam nods at them grimly. "Well, these two just can't seem to get along, no matter how hard Chiron tries to get them to work things out. And no one else has managed to make them see eye to eye either, not even Nico, Percy, and Jason. It's about all we can do to make sure that they don't do any serious damage to each other. Or to the camp. Seriously, one time, they fought so hard that they nearly tore the arena in half. It took a month to complete the repairs."

"Great…" I stare at the two of them, who still haven't moved an inch. "So this is basically a high intensity grudge match. This is why it would have been better if I'd won. A rematch between me and Kai would have been a lot more fun than watching these two try to figure out how to kill each other. And I just assume that they're going to try to kill each other."

"I'll agree with you there… It seems like they actually enjoy trying to chop the other's head off…" Sam nods his head wearily. "Looks like they're finally going to start."

And as Sam predicted, the two of them finally start to move, leveling their swords at each other. I watch closely, since this is the prefect opportunity for me to find out exactly what these two are made of. _Once I figure them out, I'll be able to figure out how to beat them._

Will charges first, striking at Kai like he's trying to stab him right in the chest. A pang of worry shoots through me, but dissipates as Kai easily drives the sword away from his chest.

My eyes flick back and forth as the black and bronze blades connect, throwing sparks everywhere. And I do mean sparks. Bright, light blue arcs of electricity that look like hundreds of tiny lightning bolts. Something that I'm pretty sure wasn't around in my duel with Will.

I elbow Sam urgently. "Hey, why are there sparks flying everywhere?"

Sam glances at me, raising an eyebrow. "From Will, duh." But as I frown, Sam slaps his forehead. "Ah, right, you don't know."

"Uh…" I glance back at the two of them, and it still looks like they're trying to kill each other. The sounds of their clashing blades is a little hard on my ears. "Why don't you tell me how and why Will is pulling off this little light show."

Sam raises his hands into the air, gesturing at the flying sparks. "Well, you know how Zeus is the god of the sky, right?" He looks to me, waiting to see me nod before he keeps going. "Well, he's also the god of lightning. So all of those sparks there are what happens when Will gets really heated up."

I rub my arm, remembering the feeling of being forced to drop my sword. "Well, that explains why it felt like my arm took an electric shock." But despite being able to disable me with a shock like that, the same is not true for Will's duel with Kai. "So…then why isn't he doing the same to Kai?"

Sam grimaces, as though reliving an unpleasant memory. "Well, he did, once. It was a few years back, when the two of them were still pre-teens. I happened to be here for my first sword lesson, and I saw the two of them start fighting in the middle of the arena. The biggest difference between now and then…was the fact that Kai's got new gear. Stygian Iron. That's the black metal that his armor and sword are made of. Back then, he just used celestial bronze."

A particularly loud clang draws my attention back to the fight, where Kai and Will are locked in a contest of strength and gravity, trying to use as much force against the other as possible. It's something that must be harder on Kai, considering the obvious difference in weight and height.

My nose wrinkles as I concentrate on them, the downward slashes that Will seems to favor because of his height, and the thrusts and horizontal slashes that Kai favors because of his speed. "So…are you saying that his new gear doesn't conduct electricity?"

Sam shrugs. "Dunno. It could be that, or maybe it's that Kai's built up a resistance to Will's powers. Knowing his reputation, I wouldn't throw out either theory."

Now that confuses me a little. "What is Kai's reputation, anyway?"

"Well, I don't know all of the details, but typically…" Sam holds up a hand and starts ticking off on his fingers. "Dark, moody, hard to read, not very sociable, and then there's the old pack of rumors about how his mother died. You know, son of Hades and all, there were some people who thought that maybe he had something to do with her death. But Kai doesn't talk to anyone about it. And if Nico knows, he's not sharing. Oh, and then there's the whole creepy goth thing he does, at least, that's what people call him. There have been a few rumors about human sacrifice, but those are definitely bogus."

That description makes my nose wrinkle up even more. "That's horrible. Why are people so mean to him?"

Sam holds up his hands, then leans over onto the wall of the arena. "Who knows…they've been doing it since before I got here, so I can't tell you when or how it started. But considering how much respect Nico gets, despite the fact that half the new campers are terrified of him and his army of the dead, you would think that Kai would get more respect than he does."

"Yeah…" I frown at the two boys in the middle of the arena. "Hey, shouldn't one of them have won by now?"

Sam glances in their direction, an identical frown on his face. "Yeah…seems a little odd to me. It's like they're not even trying to win. Like…" His eyes suddenly go wide. "It's like this really is a grudge match, instead of a fight to submission."

Alarm shoots through me light lightning bolts. "Are they stupid? They're going to get themselves seriously hurt!"

And just like that, I see Will slash at Kai's face, just barely running the tip of his sword over Kai's cheek. Kai returns the favor, nicking a point between the plates of Will's armor, drawing blood from his opponent's arm. First blood has been drawn on both sides.

While Will's cut just bleeds into the sleeve of his shirt, Kai's blood drips down his face, droplets of crimson blood falling into the dirt.

Will smirks. "Looks like you do bleed like the rest of us. Well, that skews the whole darkness for blood theory that I had."

My knuckles turn white as my fingers clench against the tone wall. "Okay…that's going way too far."

"Yeah…" Sam sighs. "But that's just another of the rumors. That Kai's got darkness in his veins instead of blood. It's like they're trying to make him less human than the rest of us, just because he's a loner. And Will does nothing to stop the rumors, even though he could probably put an end to them. You'd think Nico would try to help but…"

"No…" For some reason, I just can't picture Kai accepting help from Nico. He's too proud, too stubborn. Even when I try to help him, I can almost feel his reluctance, his hesitation. "He probably told Nico to let him handle it all on his own."

Sam nods. "Yeah, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would want to depend on people. More of a reluctant protector with a bad temper, if that fight over you was anything to judge by."

"Yeah…" I wince as the two of them clash again, more sparks shooting into the ground. And I could swear that the ground is shaking. "So…got any idea which of them is going to win?"

"Nope." Sam shrugs and continues watching the two of them send sparks everywhere. "Kai hasn't dueled Will in a long time, and they've both gotten a lot stronger lately. So it's impossible to figure out who's gonna win."

I groan and lean back. "But they've been at it for over ten minutes!" I know that it's stupid to complain, but at this point, they're just going over the same moves that I've already seen. Unless they pull out something new, I've got nothing more to learn from their fight.

Then, all of my hair stands on end and goosebumps form all over my arms. Sam's too, since he nudges me nervously. "You feel that?"

I do, and it feels powerful and dangerous. And worst of all, it's coming from the two of them, it's like nothing I've ever felt before. _What the hell!? I know that we said we could use our powers, but… What do they think they're playing at? This is ridiculous! It's like they're seriously trying to make this a fight to the death!_

I rise quickly to my feet. "I've got to stop them." I slam my palm onto the wall of the stands and vault over it, landing on my toes and taking off towards the two of them. And it's getting serious, because all around Kai, spikes of what looks like obsidian are erupting from the ground. And the static in the air is making my hair stand up even more.

The emerging spires of pitch black rock shake the ground as I run towards them, idiotically forgetting about my absent armor and weapons in the process. "Hey! You two, stop it! You're going way too far! This isn't a death match!"

But as I approach them, a thunderous blast of air and lightning hurls me back towards the wall of the arena, though I don't make it that far, and instead take a tumble through the dirt. I smack my side kind of hard when I fall, and I groan in pain as my bruises take a hit. Hopefully I didn't end up cracking a rib.

"Ciara!" Three voices shout my name, all with different pitches, but equal levels of concern.

Sam comes running towards me, his bright blond hair shining in the sunlight. I can see a medical kit in his hands as he makes the last sprint towards me. He skids to a stop right next to me and kneels down by my side. "You awake?"

I nod and try to push myself into a sitting position. Sam notices and helps me sit up straight. Shaking my head, I groan and blink the spots out of my eyes. "Ugh…I feel like I got hit by a cyclops hug…"

Two pairs of armored footsteps come running quickly towards us, obviously the focus on their fight has been lost. Those idiots must have realized what was going on as soon as I got thrown to the ground. Then it occurs to me that I must have screamed. Funny, since I never heard it.

But in the place of a concerned smile, a horrifyingly angry look crosses Sam's face as he turns to glare at Will and Kai. "Oh no you don't. You two stay right there and don't move. I'll come treat you two once I'm sure that she's going to be alright."

The two of them freeze in their tracks, staring at me. I can see them out of the corner of my eye, but Sam snaps his fingers in front of my face, trying to get my attention. I groan, close my eyes and shake my head. "Stop it, you're making me dizzy."

Sam grabs my chin with one hand and presses his fingers to my temple, making me open my eyes. "If it's making you dizzy, then it means that you might have hit the ground hard enough to get a concussion. I wasn't sure if it was enough, seeing as your dad is Percy. He's got one of the hardest heads ever."

I pout sourly. "Should I take that as a compliment or an insult? I'm not soft-headed, and I'm not an idiot either."

"Could have fooled me with the way you charged in to stop them." Sam frowns as he moves his finger back and forth, watching the movement of my eyes. "Well, I can't be sure that you don't have a concussion, so I'll let my brother know. He knows more about brain damage than I do."

I brush his hand off and massage my temples. "I'll be fine… Despite my protests, I actually do have a fairly strong head. Not as strong as Dad's though, his can take a real pounding whenever he does something stupid to tick Mom off."

The other two take a couple of steps forward, but Sam glares at them again. "Oh no you don't. Until the two of you get those emotions and bloodlust of yours under control, you're not getting any closer to her. That way, you can't cause any more damage."

That sure doesn't sit well with either of them, if the angry looks on their faces are any indication. Then, Kai whirls around to glare at Will. "You did this to her! You could at least have the decency to look sorry about it!" The anger in his voice is unmistakable, and the growl is the same as that time. The time that he confronted the sons of Ares to defend my honor.

But, as expected, Will isn't too pleased with Kai's accusations. "I wouldn't have gotten so carried away if you hadn't started making those spikes start popping out of the ground!"

The two of them look like they're about to resume their duel to the death. So I take a deep breath, hold it in my chest for a moment, then raise my voice loud enough for China to hear me. "WILL THE TWO OF YOU GIVE IT A REST!? ALL THE TWO OF YOU DO IS TRY TO PICK FIGHTS WITH EACH OTHER, AND I'M SICK OF IT!"

All three of them freeze, staring at me. I guess it's because they've never seen me this mad. Then again, if they'd known me longer than a couple of weeks, then they would know how short a temper I've got.

I push Sam away and stagger to my feet, shaking my head again to clear out some of the cobwebs. "You know what, never mind. You idiots can do whatever the hell you want. I'm out of here." I shake my head frustratedly and turn quickly, not even giving them a second look as I storm out of the arena.

 _I need help…_


	16. Boy Talk and Blackmail

**Okay, time for a mother-daughter bonding moment. And I hope that you guys like Solangelo, because Dr. Will Solace, son of Apollo, makes an appearance. Lots of sweet little mushy stuff, and a little pre-teen angst and annoyance. And lots of cuddly/annoying family fluff. Oh, and one 'oops I didn't mean to peek'.**

 **To: s693221. I see that you have a ship already.**

 **I promise, I will do my very best to confuse everyone's ships for the kiddies.** **Because coming up in the next couple of chapters, the rest of the Seven get back from various family vacations and general early summer fun. Their legacy kids included. (Suggestions for names are welcome, and I've already got some in mind, although if anyone wants to go and suggest names and places for other demigods, feel free, there's plenty of space for more).**

 **Next chapter is the Fourth of July fireworks show, a familiar face returning from Olympian meetings, legacies everywhere, and some other visitors. Not to mention, a small catastrophe in the dining pavilion.**

* * *

I need some serious help. And somehow, I get the feeling that my dad is going to be completely useless right now. I've always brought my social problems to Mom, since the one time I asked Dad for advice about making friends, his advice totally backfired. It backfired kind of spectacularly, and it was totally hilarious, but I'm not going for hilarity here. That might just get me a sword in the face. And I really don't want to cause Sam any more annoyance by getting a sword stuck in my face.

I walk up to the door of Cabin Six, prepared to knock on the door, but I freeze. _Wait…do I have to knock? Couldn't I just walk right in? This is Mom's cabin…_

While I argue with myself over whether or not I should knock, the door opens, and I see a pair of stormy gray eyes staring at me. "Can I help you?"

I jump a little and take a step back. "Oh, uh…I'm here to see Mom."

"Mom?" The boy tilts his head, confused. "You mean Athena?"

I shake my head quickly. "No, Annabeth."

His eyes go wide and he pushes the door wide open. "Right, you're Annabeth's kid! I should have recognized you! Come on in, she's in the back."

"Right…" Then I realize that I recognize the kid. "Wait, your name is Otis, right?"

The boy grins at me. "Yeah. I was here the day that you showed up. I was surprised, I'd heard that Annabeth and Percy had a kid, but I didn't think you'd be my age."

"Hey, that's not my fault!" I groan a little. "They're the ones who didn't tell me anything about this place. So I guess they didn't tell you guys much about me either."

"Nope, just that you hadn't shown any powers yet, so they wanted to keep you in the mortal world to give you a chance at a normal life. It's a little weird to have a niece the same age as me, but I guess that just comes with the whole godly parent thing." He waves me inside cheerfully. "Anyway, come on in, I'll show you the way to your mom."

I step into the cabin and he closes the door, leading me towards the back of the cabin. This place looks almost exactly like on my first day. Except that now, it looks like there's actually people here, instead of being quite as neat and tidy as it was the first time.

Otis leads me past half a dozen sets of bunk bed, before poking his head around a corner. "Hey Annabeth, there's someone here to see you."

"Hm?" She looks up from her papers, some kind of buildings designs by the looks of it, and smiles. "Ah, hey sweetie. Come here." She pats the bed beside her and moves over a little to make room.

I walk over and sit down next to her on the bed. "What are you working on?"

She stretches out some plans in front of her. "Well, I was commissioned to design a building for downtown Chicago. They want me to go over there in a couple of weeks with the plans. So I was just going over them to make some last minute adjustments."

"Oh." It's something I'm used to. Sometimes Mom will be at home or her office, working on her sketches, but sometimes she'll be gone for a week or two, presenting architectural plans to clients. She's been all over the country with her work, so I'm used to making the most of the time I've got with her. Dad is the one who's home with me most of the time. Despite his dyslexia, he's got a degree in marine biology, and he's been a science teacher at a school in Brooklyn for as long as I can remember.

I've never been to the school, since Dad always thinks that the most embarrassing thing for a kid is to be taught by one of their parents. Something about past experience with it. And his grin when he told me that really made me not want to know what he meant. He embarrasses me enough at home, I really don't need him embarrassing me at school too.

Mom drags her eyes away from her sketches and pulls me right up against her side. "Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong? You've got that same look on your face that your dad always makes when something has gone wrong."

"Really?" It's not the first time I've been told that I look like Dad, but I never realized that I had such an obvious tell. "Well…it's about…boys."

Mom freezes, her gray eyes storming. "Who are the idiots and what did they do? And what kind of revenge does it warrant?"

I sigh and stare at my hands. "No revenge…it's just…" I hold my hands up in frustration. "It's…Will and Kai. I just don't get why they insist on not getting along. It's driving me mad! After that incident with those guys from the Ares Cabin, he told Will to protect me. But first of all, I'm not helpless! I've been training my swordplay with Nico all day, every day. And afterward, I'll sneak off and practice in the river with the naiads watching. But Will insists on sticking his nose into things, and then goes and decides to underestimate me! I finally managed to make him see that I'm not helpless, but I still can't beat him! And to make things worse, he and Kai won't stop glaring at each other long enough to actually have a conversation!"

Mom pats me on the head and smiles. "I see… So you're just trying your hardest to get stronger, and all the while, they're acting like a couple of morons, huh?"

"Exactly!" I throw my hands up in frustration. "If they're so eager to fight, then they should be helping me train, not picking fights with each other! And just before I ran over here, those two were trying to rip each other to pieces! I tried to stop them, but-" There are just no words to adequately express the sheer anger and frustration I feel.

Mom smiles at me grimly. "Well, sweetie, that's just how teenage boys are. They're reckless and stupid, and don't have the brain cells to spare if they go and hurt themselves. That's especially true if they're demigods. Even more so if they're sons of the Big Three. Gods know that your dad was an idiot when we were younger, not much has changed there. He's a total Seaweed Brain."

"Seaweed Brain?" That name rings a bell in my head. "Wait, isn't that what you call Dad when you're mad at him?"

Mom's cheeks turn bright red, which intrigues and amuses me, since I've never seen her embarrassed like that before. "Well, yeah. But I've always called him that, not just when I'm annoyed or mad. H's gt nothing but seaweed in his head, but it's equal parts annoying and endearing." Then she shakes her head. "Anyway, the way I see it, you've only got two logical options."

Somehow, I hadn't really expected her to come up with options so quickly. "And what would those be?"

She holds her hand up, one finger pointed, as though she's going to give a lecture. "Well, short of doing anything particularly dangerous, which I would not advise, since it's stupid and reckless, your options are to either wait for them to grow up and leave this phase of fighting and rivalry, or you could just smack their heads together and lock them in a room without weapons until they work out all their problems."

I can practically feel a drop of sweat rolling down my neck. "Um…somehow, I think that locking them in a room together might end up with one or both of them dead. And as for waiting for them to grow out of it, I feel like that might take a while."

"Hm…" Mom taps her lip. "Well, I suppose that you could ask Chiron to intervene, but he's tried already, and it doesn't help. So if you decide to go for the second option, I suggest putting a video camera in the room so that you can use it for blackmail later."

The simple fact that my own mother is encouraging blackmail stuns me a little. Then again, I've never had the most normal parents, I knew that even before I found out about all the demigod stuff. Finding out about all that just explained why they're so weird.

 _What does that say about me, then?_

* * *

After that somewhat unproductive, but heartwarming talk with my mother, unproductive because I feel like blackmail is going just a bit too far, I walk slowly over to the woods, hoping to get some time to myself to think about my problems. But as I pass by the arena on my way to the woods, I notice Kai is still in there, training with someone I don't recognize.

 _Wait…if he's here, then…_ I turn back towards the cabins and sprint out of sight of the arena, up to the pitch black cabin that I've gotten to know over the past couple of weeks. _Maybe Nico is in here alone! He did say that he was going to be around for most of the summer teaching the sword-fighting classes!_

I push open the cabin door slowly. "Nico?" I can hear someone in here, which means that he must be around. So I take a few steps inside, and my poor innocent eyes are assaulted with a repeat of an incident from about a week ago. An incident that, much like this time, I walked in on by accident. But it's still entirely my fault for walking into the cabin in the first place.

My godfather and my doctor are making out on the couch. But this time, my dark-haired godfather is on the bottom.

I quickly spin around and head for the door. "I'm so sorry! I didn't think you were in here Dr. Solace!"

Chuckling erupts from the couch, and I quickly feel a hand on my shoulder. "It's alright, sweetie. But learn to knock, otherwise you'll get more of a show than you bargained for." I glance up to see a shock of blond hair, and a radiant smile. "You're here to talk to Nico?"

I nod quickly. "Yeah, I thought that maybe he could…" Then a thought occurs to me. "Actually, maybe you can both help me."

He blinks in confusion, then shrugs. "Well, I suppose. But I'm not sure what help I'll be. I'm a doctor, but not much of a therapist according to Nico."

"You don't need to be for this…" I grumble a little, but when I look over at Nico, he smiles and pats his lap.

I know what that means, it's the same gesture Dad used to make when I was little. It's a little embarrassing, but I trudge over and sit on Nico's lap like a little kid. He ruffles my hair gently and kisses the top of my head. "Alright, now what's wrong this time."

I hold out both of my hands as the counselor of the Apollo cabin sits back down. "Will and Kai."

"Oh…" The blond smiles nervously. "She's here to talk about boys. Should I be here for this?"

"Somehow…I don't think it's what you're imagining. She's twelve, remember?" Nico chuckles and grins at me. "Alright, so what did they do this time?"

I throw up my hands in frustration, and I figure that I might as well get everything out there. "They're always at each others' throats, and only listen to every other word I say! Will is still underestimating my abilities, Kai underestimates my ability to USE my abilities, and Sam never does a thing to help! All he's done is drag me to the archery range, or up the lava wall. Which, by the way, isn't fun! I don't understand how anyone could want to climb that deathtrap!"

As I sit there, grumbling and pouting, I see a smile spread across my doctor's face. "That's right, you're friends with my little brother. So you're the one he was off training with that whole week, huh?"

I nod tiredly. "Yeah. And the only I haven't tried sticking some arrows in him is because he's the first one who actually wanted to be my friend."

Nico laughs quietly. "You're friends with Kai too, even if neither of you will admit it. Though it seems like that sparky-headed brat has thrown the whole balance off, huh?"

"Understatement…" I drop my head a little, before perking right back up. "But…since you're both guys, and into guys, that means that you probably know more about what goes on in boys' heads than Mom! I just asked her, and she was pretty much no help."

The two of them look at each other and chuckle. "Well, at least it's not the birds and the bees talk that you're here for, I don't think Nico could handle giving anyone THAT talk." A smirk peeks out from under the shock of blond hair. "Especially with you."

Nico rolls his eyes and shuffles me a little in his lap. "Well maybe that's because you're the doctor. You're the one who's used to explaining that kind of stuff. You know all the medical terms for it, so it's less weird."

Will laughs. "Except that I'm a surgeon, not a gynecologist. Or an obstetrician, though somehow, that doesn't stop our friends from asking me to deliver their babies. I swear, I get more requests to be a mid-wife than a professional mid-wife." He wiggles a finger at me. "And that includes you. I remember that day clear enough. You were so cute that it actually made a whole day of screaming, crying, and curses flying everywhere worth it."

I blink and frown at him. "Wait, so was I even born in a hospital?" Trust my ADHD to get me all side-tracked.

"Nope." Nico laughs cheerfully. "You were born here in camp when your parents came for a visit during their spring break, just before exams. We cordoned off the infirmary the whole time. Will's face was hilarious, the whole seven months after we found out that Annabeth was pregnant, he adamantly refused to deliver another baby. Looks like delivering a satyr baby traumatized him."

Nico shoots a smug look at Will, who rolls his eyes. "I nearly fainted the first time. Back then, I had no idea how any doctor could make their career out of doing that. It was scary! A brand new life, depending on me to keep it alive during its first moments? That's some serious pressure." Then he looks at me and sighs. "At least by the time you were born, I had a better idea of what I was getting myself into. I know it's normal, but that's still more blood than I wanted to see coming out of one of my friends. I was praying to Dad and Artemis for help the whole time. It almost scared me halfway to Hades."

"Yeah, but I would have dragged you back if you'd tumbled down there." Nico shares a knowing glance with his lover. "But once you got her all cleaned up, you took one look at her and I swear that you nearly melted." Nico glances at my eyes. "You said she had Percy's eyes, and that she was the cutest thing you'd ever seen. I was actually impressed that you held in your squeal."

Will shares a silly smile, and drops his gaze back to me. "Anyway, so what happened to get you so mad at the boys?"

I sigh and sink into Nico's lap. "Well, the four of us decided to have a little tournament, to see who could fight best. First match, Sam and Kai."

Will snickers loudly. "Well, I don't eve need to hear the story to know how that went. Not to knock my little brother, but he's not exactly the fighting type."

Nico chuckles behind my head. "Well neither are you, Sunshine. I seem to remember many a conversation that emphasized that. Not all of them involved words."

Will puts on a comical pout. "Hey, I know that you were trying to teach me better swordsmanship, but seriously, what were you expecting? You, Percy, and Jason are the best fighters we've got. Not to mention the entire Ares Cabin. And you know that the Big Three kids always get the unfair advantage when it comes to learning to fight."

I can just tell that Nico is rolling his eyes, and his tone is scathing. "Should I remind you that Percy and Jason can't shoot a bow to save their lives? And I'm not much better in tht department. Unless, you've forgotten when Percy and Jason roped me into that shooting contest, and it ended with some Apollo campers in the infirmary, some very upset pegasi, and a couple of furious dryads. Chiron was appalled at our lack of ability to shoot straight."

"But I thought that you didn't shoot straight anyway." I look back at Nico innocently, trying to keep a grin from popping up on my face.

Both of their jaws drop. And a slight glare makes its way onto Nico's face, marred only by a hint of amusement. "Alright, now who have you been hanging out with? You haven't made that kind of joke before."

"Sam." I shrug easily. "While he was busy dragging me to that deathtrap you all call a climbing wall, he said that you two were about as straight as pogo sticks."

Will frowns. "Straight as pogo sticks?"

"Ah…merda." Nico groans and shakes his head. "I think it's a reference to the spring." He shifts me on his lap and shakes his head again. "Please don't make jokes like that. Percy will probably just laugh it off, but Annabeth might think that I'm being a bad influence on you."

Will hums and smiles slightly. "Nico, your Italian is showing." But the smile on his face is hardly reprimanding. "But I guess I wouldn't have married you if I didn't like it."

The next instant, my eyes drop down to look at his hand, where a gold ring glitters. I feel another piece of metal against my skin, and I glance down to Nico's hand, where I see a matching silver ring. My eyes bug out a little. "Wait, you two are-" I look back and forth, hoping for an explanation.

Nico chuckles. "Yeah…guess I was a little vague when I told you that Will and I are together, huh?"

Will shakes his head. "You mean you didn't tell her? Good grief…" Will finally addresses my confusion. "We got married about seven years back, though I guess my little Angel forgot to mention that."

I flush a dark red. This is something I should have realized sooner, I just thought that Nico liked jewelry, since he's wearing multiple rings. Including one that looks like a skull. "That's uh…" Images from some of those magazines in grocery stores of happily married celebrities comes to mind, along with a rather strange notion of parents with kids. "Wait, but if you're both guys, then how do you two-"

Nico quickly covers my mouth with his hand, as though he already knows what I'm going to ask. "Oh no, I am not having this conversation with you. Percy and Annabeth would murder me. And I think I would like a little more time up here before paying my father a visit."

Pouting, I shuffle Nico's hand away and turn my attention back on Will. "Fine…dropping it. Anyway…so do you have any ideas on what to do with those idiots? I really don't feel like getting tossed across the arena again, just because they're mad at each other." I rub the back of my head, which is still a little sore. "I swear that Sam obsessed over me forever…saying that I could have gotten a concussion. I'm not that delicate…"

The amusement in Will's eyes disappears immediately. "He said you might have a concussion?" And without any warning, he gets up from the other couch and kneels in front of me, looking straight into my eyes. "If Sam thinks you might have a concussion, then I'm going to have to take a look at you. I'm sure that your boy problem can wait a little longer."

That's not really what I wanted to hear, but he's been my doctor since I was born. In all of that time, I've long since learned that when he decides to look me over to make sure I'm not hurt or sick, I have to stay put and wait for him to declare me fit to return to running around. He's done it before, and he would certainly do it again, especially now that I've taken up some significantly more dangerous hobbies.

* * *

Instead of just giving me a quick examination in Nico's cabin, my blond doctor insists that we take it to the infirmary in the Big House, the huge sky blue monstrosity that really looks like it needs some new decorations. That, or Mom really needs to design a new exterior.

I sit on one of the infirmary beds, humming a little as I swing my legs back and forth, waiting for Will to get back to take a look at me. Nico, on the other hand, seems amused by something. Problem is, I have no idea what. "Nico, what are you so happy about?"

His smile grows a little wider. "Not much. It's just been a long time since I've seen you so bouncy. I doubt you remember, you were pretty young, but I used to babysit you when you were little. And you would always be running around like a wild child who'd had way too much sugar. It was funny, since after the first time, I never gave you sugar again. I learned my lesson quickly."

I frown and close my eyes, trying to recall the memories he's talking about. It doesn't go well. "…I don't remember…" I concentrate as hard as I can, but all of my memories before the age of four are pretty fuzzy. But that's normal. Barely anyone remembers what they did when they were toddlers.

"Yeah, that's not a surprise, you were barely knee-high on me by the time Percy and Annabeth took you out into the mortal world." He taps his knee for emphasis. "They were most of the way through their first degrees by the time you were born, so when Will and I moved to New Rome so he could get a degree in medicine, I spent most of my time babysitting you so that Annabeth could go on to do a Masters degree in architecture, and Percy could get a degree in education. He said that his step-dad inspired him to want to teach."

"Oh…" I never knew that Nico was my babysitter during my crawling years. "I guess that explains why you didn't freak me out when you popped out of the woods."

Nico laughs, his voice is low, rich, and smooth, and it does seem a little more familiar than two weeks here should be able to do. "I guess so. You'd think that I would have scared you silly." He ruffles my hair softly. "But you just got attached to me again almost immediately. It's actually really sweet."

"Alright, so where's my little patient?" My eyes flash over to where the curtain is drawn back slightly, to see a white lab coat and bright blond hair peeking from around the curtain. "Ah, there you are!"

Nico smirks at me. "Don't worry, Sunshine, she's been good. We were just talking about when I used to be her babysitter."

Will smiles and sits down on the bed with me, turning my head to face him. "Those were good times… Now hold still and keep your eyes open." I nod slightly, before he shines a penlight into each of my eyes. Back and forth, over and over. Then I have a chance to blink, before he moves his index finger around, letting my gaze follow it.

A few minutes and half a dozen random tests later, including one where he manages to tap a sore spot on my head, he draws his hands back and nods. "Well, I can't see any signs of a concussion. Looks like it's just a bump on the head. I guess it's a good thing Percy is your dad, you inherited his hard head."

I start grumbling again. "And…there's another comment on how hard my head is. Just remember, I got my brains from Mom."

The two of them burst out laughing, and my crazy doctor wipes tears from his eyes. "No doubt. You got her brains, probably her sharp tongue too."

Nico's laughs die down, his eyes sparkling at me. "Doesn't stop her from being Daddy's little girl."

"Oh stop it…" I bury my face in my arms. "You are the most embarrassing relatives ever…" Because here, everyone is related one way or another. And I've officially got the weirdest family in history.

That sure gets the both of them laughing. I'm not sure if they're laughing at me, or at something else, but it doesn't matter. Their laughter sounds nice, and it makes me feel all warm and tingly inside.

And sleepy…very sleepy…


	17. Surprises are Best Served at Breakfast

**Alright, so I'm just gonna put this right out there. Since the "Trials of Apollo" series isn't going to be finished for quite a while, This just skips ahead and assumes that an extra little... "punishment" is tacked on to the end of whatever ultimately ends up happening.**

 **Also, returning heroes and lots of new faces. Including a brand new friend. A very happy and kind of volatile one.**

 **Little more Solangelo, some Percabeth (duh), and a few familiar ships.**

* * *

Nico must have brought me back to my cabin after I fell asleep, because I tumble out of bed at eight in the morning, disturbed a little by Dad moving around the cabin as he gets dressed for breakfast. He's not exactly the stealthiest ninja in the world. Or ever.

"Dad…it's too early…" I pick myself back up and snuggle back into the warmth of my bed.

He snickers and walks over to ruffle my hair. "You seem to be spending too much time with Nico, you're picking up his sleeping habits. He's not a morning person either, and he sleeps like the dead. Though speaking of my cousin, seems like you fell asleep in the infirmary after a check-up. Wanna talk about it?"

Talking to Dad about my current problem, while tempting, is probably not a good idea. After Mom suggesting blackmail and almost certain death, I don't even want to know what Dad would suggest. I grumble and pull the pillows over my head. "Go away…"

But Dad just pulls my pillows off my head and tosses my blankets to the other side of the bed. He tickles my sides gently. "Come on, sweetheart. I've got a surprise for you."

I glare up at him out of the corner of my eye, then sigh and push myself out of bed, my hair a complete mess. "Fine…" I run my fingers through my hair, tidying it up a little. "But this had better be good…"

He smiles brightly, wrapping his arms around me. "Oh it will be. I promise."

"Yeah…" I yawn a little and rest my head against Dad's chest, listening to his heart, something I've done since I was little. "Food sounds good…"

"Then have a shower and get changed, I'll wait for you." He kisses my hair and loosens his grip, letting me slip out of his arms and into the bathroom.

* * *

After successfully dragging me out of bed, and a ten minute shower, Dad walks me over to the dining pavilion for breakfast. I know that it's standard to wear a camp shirt, but orange just really isn't my color, and I don't have to be a daughter of Aphrodite to know that. Blues and greens suit me better, and not just because I'm a legacy of Poseidon.

But it's not like I'm the only one who doesn't wear the camp t-shirt. From what I've seen, most of the Aphrodite Cabin doesn't, Kai doesn't, and whenever the Apollo Cabin is working in the infirmary, there's not a camp t-shirt to be seen, just hospital scrubs.

We walk into the pavilion, grabbing plates and cups from the table near the entrance. Apparently they changed the setup a few years back to promote better organization and faster movement.

However, something is different in the pavilion today. I look over to the Poseidon table, and its not in its usual place. It, the Zeus table, and the Hades table have all been pushed together to make a huge setup resembling a banquet table. And sitting there is a collection of people I've never seen before, along with Will Solace and Mom.

"Uh…what's going on?" I look up to Dad, hoping for an explanation.

Dad laughs and nudges me towards the tables. "Well, we've got a hosting rule here. You can sit at a table that isn't yours as long as you have a friend in that cabin who invites you to sit there. Back when we were all at camp all the time, Nico, Jason and I would all sit together since we were the only ones in our cabins, it was better than sitting alone, and we scared off anyone who tried to say anything about it. Your mom and our friends all started sitting with us as well, so Chiron officially changed the rules, which meant that sometimes we would push our tables together so that we had enough room for everyone."

"Oh." That definitely explains why there are so many people all seated together, since they look like they come from quite a variety of cabins.

"Come on, this way." Dad coaxes me towards the large eating arrangement.

There's an entire end of one table free, and Mom is sitting across from my blond doctor. So Dad squeezes in next to Mom, giving me plenty of room to sit down diagonally across from the son of Apollo.

He smiles brightly at me. "This must be your first time seeing the tables pushed together like this. It gets kind of hectic, but it's nice for things to be so lively."

"Yeah…" I turn around, looking at the entire pavilion, before something catches my eye. I nudge Dad lightly. "Hey, can I invite someone to sit here?"

He glances curiously at me. "Feel free. Just try not to start any trouble."

A bright smile curves up my lips. "Okay, I'll be right back!" I leap up from my seat and run to the other side of the pavilion, where Sam is getting a plate and cup from the table. "Sam!"

He spins around, sees me, and smiles right back. "Hey! How are you doing?"

"I'm good." I grab his arm and start dragging him towards me table. "Come on, you're sitting with me today."

"Okay, you don't have to pull so hard!" But despite trying to sound mad, Sam's voice is full of laughter, just like usual. Bright and sunny.

Back at the table, I sit down next to Dad, and Sam sits next to me, getting a raised eyebrow from his older brother. "So, dragged little Sam over her, huh? I guess I should have seen that coming." Then his gaze rises above my head. "Speaking of things I should have seen coming, it looks like someone actually managed to drag himself and his kid brother out of bed before noon today."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Nico appears from just behind me, walking around the table to sit next to his husband, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Morning, Sunshine."

"Morning, Angel."

Kai walks around the table to sit down, looking sour, grumpy, and like he wants to hurl. "Could you two not do that? You know that your flirting makes me sick."

I glower at Kai. "Hey, thats not nice. Be happy for them."

Kai's eyes travel just to my left. "Are you sure that you really want to disagree?"

I follow his gaze, and suddenly wish I hadn't. Mom is now almost in Dad's lap, and they're making out like there's no tomorrow. "Oh no! Mom! Dad! Gross…" I turn away, feeling like I want to throw up as well. "No kid wants to see their parents doing that!"

Kai just smirks at me. "And now you know how I feel."

I groan and look down the table to see Will sitting next to a blond man, a woman with brown hair and tanned skin, and a couple of kids a little younger than me. I've never seen them before, and it intrigues me.

Nico chuckles across the table. "That's Jason and Piper Grace. Jason is the head of the Zeus Cabin, and Piper is the head of the Aphrodite Cabin. Those two kids are theirs." Then he points to a guy with a mop of dark curly hair that goes so well with his pointy ears that he looks almost like an older, latino Santa's elf. "That's Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, he's in charge of Cabin 9. Next to him is his wife, Calypso, and next to her is-"

But before Nico can tell me the name of the boy sitting a few seats down, he looks over, catches my eye, and jumps to his feet. Sauntering over quickly, he squeezes himself between my and my dad. "Hi! I'm Eranzo Jason Valdez, legacy of Hephaestus! You can call me Eran."

He holds out his fist to me, so I look at it, confused, before hesitantly tapping it with my own. He smiles, which means that I must have gotten the cue right. "Hi Eran, I'm Ciara Jackson. I would say my whole name but…"

"But it's long and hard to remember?" I turn to the sarcastic idiot with a grimace. I really just want to slap that smug smirk off of Kai's face.

Instead, I look down at my plate and imagine the perfect breakfast. And just like usual, a pile of pancakes with blue raspberry syrup, a tower of spicy sausages, and a mountain of toast appears on my plate.

Eran gapes at my plate. "How much are you planning on sacrificing?"

"Not that much…" I turn to the brazier and flick a couple of sausages, a pancake, and two pieces of toast into it. Grandma, Grandpa, please get these two idiots to stop fighting, they're driving me up the wall. Literally, they actually make me want to flee up the climbing wall. After that short prayer, I turn back to my plate. There's still a veritable mountain of food for me to eat, which is good because I'm starving. "Dunno why, but I've been eating like a horse ever since I got here."

That seems to amuse Nico a little. "Maybe I've been hanging around Sunshine too long, but it sounds to me like your body is trying to compensate for the calories that your new powers are draining. That's what's probably causing your appetite to grow. Gods know Percy and Jason eat like giants." That earns him a certain blond's elbow to the ribs. "Okay! I guess I've been known to stuff my face too."

My eyes drift down from Nico until I'm staring at my cup, wondering just how far I can push its magic. And as I imagine exactly what I want, what would make me a very happy camper, an emerald green liquid fills my cup to the brim.

Sam looks at my cup curiously. "What did you put in that? Kiwi juice? Lime juice? Some kind of kelp or kale juice? Please tell me it's not spinach…"

Kai looks a little disgusted by the color. "Are you seriously going to drink that? It looks disgusting!"

"Of course I'm going to drink it!" I smile at the glass and take a sip of the green liquid, finding it to be absolutely perfect. "Blue raspberry lemonade, blue and yellow equals green!"

There's silence all along the table for a second, including everyone who was in conversation at the other end. They all look at me curiously, before bursting out laughing.

Dad looks at me proudly. "That's my girl! Blue and green food do exist!"

Mom rolls her eyes. "And of course Seaweed Brain is forgetting half the fruits and vegetables on the planet when he says that."

Mom's jibe gets Dad's attention, but I just busy myself with digging into the food on my plate, ignoring their silly antics. I cut up the pancakes and stuff them into my mouth, not caring how messy it looks. And after I devour the pancakes, the next to go is the entire stack of toast, which disappears so fast that Kai, Eran, and Sam stare at me.

"Uh…are you sure that it's a good idea to be eating that fast?" Sam watches in amazement as I wolf down the sausages as well. "You're going to make yourself sick…"

"Or she's going to make us sick." Kai makes a noise of disgust from across the table. "She's way too tiny to be eating that much, legacy of Poseidon or not. And as for the horse joke…that was terrible, even as a pun."

I look up at him, my mouth still full of food. There's food on his plate; bacon, scrambled eggs, waffles, a couple pieces of toast, and an apple. I swallow my food and glare at him sheepishly. "Considering how much I see on your plate, I don't think you're in any position to be judging me."

He glares at me sourly. "I'm a guy, I'm taller than you, I weigh more than you, and I'm older than you. Plus I have five hours of sword practice a day, and a fast metabolism paired with random growth spurts. I need this much food. You, on the other hand, are so tiny that you'll burst from eating that much food. Or just get fat."

I've got nothing to counter him with since his first argument is laid out a little too perfectly. His second argument, less so, so I just stick my tongue out at him and blow a raspberry. "Meanie!" It's childish, but then again, I'm only twelve. I think I can get away with it.

Rolling his eyes, he starts picking at his plate. "Good that you noticed. I'm not nice." But his tone sounds just a little sarcastic, so I know he's not totally serious about not being nice. Because he should know that he can't fool me. I've seen him play nice.

What doesn't help is when Will looks over from next to the blond man, Jason. There's a coy smile on his face. "You know, if you want nice, I can do nice. Better than Death Breath over there."

I shoot Will the same sour look that Kai shot me earlier. "Somehow, I doubt that his breath smells like death, seeing as he's shoving half a dozen breakfast foods into it. But if you would like to test that theory and prove me wrong, be my guest."

Will wrinkles his nose at the thought. "No thank you. I think I'll pass."

I roll my eyes and turn back to the boy beside me. "So Eran, you wanna hang out later? I'm getting kind of sick of these two idiots always trying to decapitate each other, or at least looking like that's what they're picturing in their thick heads.

Eran's face lights up with glee. "Sure! Just let me finish eating, and I'll meet you by the climbing wall! I've been wanting to try out some of the new features that Dad's been working on!"

"Deal!" I pick up my plate with a smile. "Then I'll go and put this away and get a head start on the climbing wall before we turn it up to level stupid."

Eran and Sam both laugh at me as I turn away from the table and head towards the dish drop-off. But as I get close to the dish table to return my plate, a loud, cheerful voice suddenly resounds in my ear. "Why hello there! You must be a new camper!"

The last thing I expect when I whirl around is to see a pair of bright blue eyes and a shock of golden hair in my face. To put it mildly, it scares the hell out of me. And scaring me is not a safe thing to do.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I scream at the top of my lungs, dropping my plate on the floor just as every single drink in the pavilion erupts like Mt. Vesuvius over Pompeii. Okay, surprised is definitely an understatement.

I hunch down on the floor, my hands over my ears and my eyes screwed up tight. I start counting numbers in my head, something Mom taught me to do if I ever have a panic attack and need to calm down. Now, it's just become something of a habit whenever I go into a full blown panic attack. And usually, they aren't this bad. My heart is beating like a drum being pounded on by a pair of satyrs, my vision is flashing different colors even with my eyes closed, and I feel kind of like I'm going to hurl.

It doesn't happen often, since I don't scare easy. But once in a while, if the conditions are just right, something as simple as someone sneaking up on me can trigger one. The last time I had one, courtesy of a certain gold death mask, I nearly ripped the apartment's plumbing apart. Which is what landed me here in the first place.

"…a-ra…i-ara…Ciara!" A hand touches my shoulder and shakes me until my eyes open. "Ciara! Focus!"

My eyes snap fully open and I finally start to breathe again. My stomach, which I hadn't even realized was clenched up tight, relaxes. And the world bursts into a blur of a million colors.

Looking up after recovering a little from my daze, I see an almost identical head of blond hair and pair of blue eyes, but they're the familiar, kind eyes of my doctor, Will Solace. He smiles reassuringly at me. "It's alright, just breathe. Deep breaths. In and out, in and out."

I take deep breaths, almost gasping for the air that my lungs were denied. "S-sorry…I-I just…" I breathe a little more, trying to calm down. "W-wasn't expecting him to just…come up b-behind me."

"Yeah, sorry, he has a habit of doing that." The two blonds exchange strange looks. "This is my dad, Apollo, the very exuberant god of the sun, music, poetry, and healing. He directs the camp…has for the last sixteen years or so because of an incident involving a prophecy."

Chiron looks at the blond man from the head table, exasperation plastered all over his face. "Lord Apollo…I believe that I'd informed you that our newest camper has a violent reaction to being surprised…though I suppose that you now know that firsthand."

"Oh…so that's this little one, huh?" The man reaches for me and pulls me to my feet. "Sorry sweetheart, didn't mean to scare you." He flashes me a smile so brilliant it should be illegal. "Now I remember you, you're the Jackson kid that was at Olympus a couple of weeks ago. It's nice to finally meet you. You know, when you're not screaming at us for answers."

This overly shiny man seems to be talking to me, but I can barely register every other word he says. "Um…sure…" I look around, finally seeing the devastation I caused.

And what devastation it is. It's almost like the aftermath of the world's greatest food fight. Everyone who didn't shield themselves with their plate, or duck under a table, is now soaked with various amounts of liquid with varying degrees of stickiness. Juice, water, soda, tea and coffee all mixed together to make one smelly, sticky mixture.

Apollo does seem a little apologetic for scaring me like that, so he motions to Sam, who must have seen the signs and hidden himself before the juice explosion. "Son, why don't you take your friend and head down to the archery range or the climbing wall. I think she needs a distraction."

Sam nods and grabs my left hand, pulling me out of the pavilion. "Wow, I ever thought I'd see a demonstration like that! No wonder you ended up here. Jeez, and I thought that what you did in the arena was awesome. Making all of the cups erupt was awesome!"

Still reeling from my shock, I shake my head. "Last time it was the plumbing…not a storm of juice and soda…"

"Whatever! It's still cool!" His grin just refuses to fade. He's like a little bouncing ball of sunshine. Not that I would expect any less from my very weird friend. "Time for the Lava Wall of Doom!"

"Count me in!" I turn my head to my right, and see Eran catch up in a flash, grabbing hold of my right hand. "Come on! If we hurry, we can beat everyone there and get first dibs!" And working with Sam, the two of them pull me towards the climbing wall at an incredible clip.

All I can do is groan silently in anticipation. _And here we go again…_


	18. Date With The (Sort-of) Gay Best Friends

**Okay, so here's their little Fourth of July fireworks party, a party for three ;). Also, if anything LGBTQ offends you, I suggest that you find another fandom, seeing as this one loves gay/bi/pan ships, whether they be crack or canon.**

* * *

Halfway up the climbing wall, I'm regretting this idea a little less than earlier. I'm not entirely sure why, but even with it on the same level as usual, it's not nearly as hard climbing it as it used to be. Maybe I'm just getting better at this whole demigod thing.

On the other hand, I'm still dodging lava, since I really don't feel like sitting in the lake to heal extensive burns again. I like talking to the naiads well enough, but their offers to teach me how to weave baskets is not particularly appealing. I'm sure that the revelation would shock Mom and Athena, since they both love it, but I'm not one to sit down for hours and focus on something that boring.

About three quarters of the way up the climbing wall, Eran calls up to me from a few meters to my left. "So, you going to the fireworks with anyone tonight?"

"Fireworks?" I'd heard something about there being fireworks to kick off the summer, but I've been in training with Nico lately, so I haven't been paying much attention to camp events. "Uh…am I supposed to go with someone? Wouldn't I just go with Dad?"

Eran shuffles up the climbing wall a little faster, the sunlight gleaming off his matching caramel skin and hair. "Well, I guess, but do you really want to watch your parents making out the whole time? The fireworks are one of the best date opportunities for the couples here. And I doubt that your parents are going to want to miss that just because you could be watching. It's probably like a date to them. I know that my parents are treating it like a date night."

He's got a pretty good point, since they had no qualms making out right in front of me at breakfast, no doubt they wouldn't hesitate to do it again. "Point taken. What do you suggest?"

As I reach up to scale the last few feet of the climbing wall, Sam reaches down to pull me to the top. "Well, why don't we go together? I know some of the best spots to watch from. Completely unobstructed view of the whole sky, and we can look at constellations before the show starts. Or snack, snacking is good too."

"No fair! I wanted to ask her!" Eran struggles to climb the last couple of feet, before finally pulling himself up to the top of the climbing wall and pressing the button that signals the end of the climb.

I look back and forth between the two of them. "Wait…why are you two so eager to go to the fireworks with me? Shouldn't you go with your cabins or something?"

They look at each other and grin. "Isn't it obvious?"

Completely bewildered, my gaze shifts between the two of them. "Isn't what obvious?"

Brown and blue eyes lock on me, mischievous grins accompanying them. "You don't have a boyfriend. So you need to go with your gay best friends!"

I'm a little ashamed to say, as a granddaughter of Athena, that my brain goes completely blank. They just said that I need to go to the fireworks with my gay best friends. And I have many reasons for my confusion.

"Uh…gay? Best friends?"

Sam frowns a little. "Okay, to be fair, I'm not gay, just bi, but that's not the point. I've always wanted to be the sassy gay friend, but everyone thinks I'm too cute to do it!"

I blink, taking in this sudden confession. Sam is so blatantly open about it, and he's not even a teenager yet. It amazes and worries me that he already seems so sure about something so serious. I barely even think about boys except as other people, let alone if I like them, or girls, or some combination of the two.

But as I turn to Eran, his grin just gets brighter. "Okay, I know that we just met this morning, but our parents have been friends for like ever. I bet that I can get you to call me one of your best friends by the end of the week!"

I frown a little, confused. "So…you're into boys?" This feels almost a little too convenient, like these two planned this out step by step.

He shrugs. "I'm into anybody and everybody, as long as they're awesome on both the inside and the outside, and don't forget just the side. But I can do sassy! I learned from Dad!"

"I see…" Not that I have anything against their…uniqueness, it's just all a lot of information to process in only a few seconds. And not just the confessions on their preferences, but their intentions. At least they're not asking to date me. That would just get complicated, and dangerous. "But…you're younger than I am, how do you even know that?"

He shrugs. "When you see your dad flirting with your mom as much as I do, you start wondering stuff, a lot of stuff. Dad told me not to try kissing anyone until I'm at least thirteen. And Mom calls me pre…preko…prekoshus?"

"Precocious?" And here is a perfect example of something I've noticed more than once. When it comes to spelling and pronouncing things in English, most of the other campers have a few serious problems. Dyslexia being one of them. Luckily, I'm not afflicted with the condition, unlike most of the other campers here. On the other hand, I suffer from occasional panic attacks, and my ADHD is worse than Dad's. And his is pretty bad.

"Yeah!" Eran grins at me. "But Dad always says that I can take an interest in whoever I want to, so it's totally okay!"

"Right…" It's still a little hard for me to wrap my head around it, seeing as I still feel like I'm a little young to be interested in boys. Or girls, for that matter, considering what these two just told me. And frankly, I think I'm a little young to be deciding or discovering which way I swing. _Maybe these two just watch too many movies..._

These two are some kind of crazy, but I guess that just comes with the territory. I don't think I've found a single completely sane demigod yet. Except maybe Nico. He seems pretty sane.

* * *

After half a dozen more attempts on the climbing wall, the three of us trudge into the infirmary, covered in a few light burns, some scrapes, and Eran has a slightly twisted ankle. But in the end, it was totally worth it.

Eran goes elbowing Sam in the ribs, despite how sore the two of them are. "Alright, I totally saw you checking out my butt earlier." _He's eleven...he's eleven, and he's freaking flirting... Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this picture?_

"Was not!" Sam's defensive tone quickly becomes a little coy. "Though I can't say the same for you. Third run up, you were definitely staring. I even gave it a little wiggle just to make sure." _Great...now he's flirting too... I hope these two are just being annoying on purpose._

"What can I say? You've got an archer's ass. And don't lie. My behind is fabulous, and you know it!" If this is how bad Eran is, I'm not entirely sure that I want to have a face to face conversation with his father, Leo Valdez. If he really learned everything from his dad, then talking to Leo would go straight from normal to big top circus in two seconds flat.

I nearly choke over what I'm hearing coming out of their mouths. "Would you two shut up? You're putting images in my head that I really don't need."

Eran leans his head on my shoulder, a smirk plastered all over his cocky face. "Oh come on, you had the best view. You must have been checking both of us out."

I roll my eyes. _I can play games too, you know..._ "Sure I was, you know, when I wasn't trying to avoid falling to my death or taking a face full of lava. I hope that you two remember that I've got a very powerful dad and godfather, and they both treat me like a little princess. One word from me about this conversation, and you two will be running for the hills. Probably from a stampede of pegasi. Try not to get trampled."

The two of them start cracking up, and one of the healers hisses at us to be quiet. Sam's face flushes immediately, and I can't blame him, since the healers are mostly Apollo campers, meaning his older siblings. "Uh…let's just go find my big brother. He should be able to patch us up real quick."

"Patch who up real quick?" Will Solace appears from behind a curtain and smiles wryly at the three of us. "Yikes. Looks like you had fun on the climbing wall. Trying to set a new record?" He shakes his head slightly, glancing at me. "I thought Sam used it to traumatize you a week ago. Why would you get back on it so quickly?"

I shrug. "It's not so bad once you turn the difficulty level down to something reasonable, or at least after getting Eran to manually turn down how much lava gets puked up. Plus, Nico's training helped a little."

"Good…" He smiles a bright, cheerful smile as he leads the three of us over to a couple of beds. "Now sit down you three. And don't hide anything from me, alright, I need to know where all of your injuries are."

Sam and Eran laugh a little as they pull off their camp t-shirts, exposing a few burns from flecks of the lava that got a little too close to Sam, and some cuts that Eran got after slamming against the climbing wall a couple of times trying to avoid those same flecks of lava. Luckily for me, I seem to be somewhat resistant to the lava's burning qualities. The only burns I've got are on my arms, where some lava hit me directly, and I had to swipe it off fast. If I were human, my arm probably would have melted off. I guess I've got Grandpa to thank for the difficulty in burning.

After looking at each of us, Will pulls out a jar of ointment and hands it to Sam. "I'm sure you know what to do with that." Sam nods and starts slathering the ointment all over the bright red burns that coat his arms, shoulders, and back. But on turning to Eran, Will frowns. "Twisted ankle, huh? You're going to need some ambrosia for that." Reaching into another jar, he takes out what looks like a brownie. "That should be enough to at least take care of most of the damage. I'll get an antiseptic to treat those cuts with." And finally he turns to me, holding out a water bottle. "This should fix you up pretty fast."

I take the bottle, twist open the cap and sniff it. "This is…seawater…" I understand what he's getting at in an instant. "This works."

It takes a lot of precise concentration, since I don't want to break the water bottle. I have a startling lack of delicacy when I don't focus. But after a few seconds, a small stream of water comes trickling out the top, gathering in the palm of my right hand. Once all of the water is out, I put down the bottle and press my hand to one of the burns.

The water works quickly, and the burn shrinks every second, fading to light red, then pink, and finally to my normal peachy skin tone. Switching hands, I press the water to the next of my burns, and it fades just as fast. This is probably one of the best parts of Grandpa's power. My injuries heal fast as long as I've got water.

Eran stares at my arms with wide eyes. "Wow…so you do heal the way that Dad told me about. He said that Percy could heal just by touching water, but he never gets hurt, so I've never gotten to see it. Can you breathe underwater too?"

I nod slightly. "Yeah, and talk to horses and fish. And make soda volcanoes out of magic cups, apparently. I'm also amazing at destroying plumbing. You should have seen what I did at home."

Eran snickers and Sam smiles at me, putting down the jar of ointment. "Well, if you hadn't destroyed the plumbing, we wouldn't have a new best friend to tease. And you wouldn't have found out how awesome you are."

"Right…awesome." And yet, it's hard to feel awesome where there are guys all around me who can kick my ass at everything. It's just proof that I have some serious practicing to do.

About five minutes later, the three of us are patched up and ready to go. "Alright you three, try not to get into any more trouble today." His blue eyes twinkle kindly at us. "And remember that the fireworks are later tonight. But that doesn't mean that you should go staying up all night. And remember to go and eat. No doubt all of you skipped lunch to play on the climbing wall."

"Yes, Dr. Solace…" I roll my eyes and hop off the bed, grinning at Eran and Sam. "Come on, race you guys to the dining pavilion!"

The three of us take off through the infirmary like little streaks of light, zooming out the doors and off towards the dining pavilion. I'm not entirely sure why, but ever since I came to camp, I feel like I've been getting steadily more hyper. And that can't possibly be a good thing for my short attention span.

* * *

Lunch, followed by an hour of archery, precedes three whole hours of running around in the arena under the watchful eye of a particular son of Hades. Nico may be one of the best teachers at camp, but he can be a real slave-driver when it gets down to the actual training.

But, the three of us make it through with minimal scrapes and bruises, though it requires one more short trip to the infirmary. It's like Sam and Eran have made it their mission to drag me into as many slightly dangerous situations as possible. As if I needed help getting into trouble.

As the sky darkens, the fireworks show draws nearer, and after dinner, everyone heads out across the camp to claim their favorite spots for watching what's been described to me as an exciting, colorful display of sheer madness.

Sam tugs on my hand, motioning towards the forest. "Come on! We've already staked out Zeus' Fist to watch the fireworks from!"

A little bewildered, I let Sam pull me along, into the forest and towards the huge, towering pile of rocks that looks like a pile of deer crap from every direction but one. Honestly, I'm surprised that Zeus didn't smite whoever named it after him. Then again, he might very well have.

We pass right next to the creek on our way to Zeus' Fist, nearly running right over Mom and Dad. Or rather, Sam nearly runs over them, but his momentum, and the tight grip he has on my hand, sends me tumbling over Dad's shoulder and right into his lap.

"Well, hello there." Dad grins down at me as I turn my head with a sour expression. "Come to join us for the fireworks?"

I shake my head and jerk my thumb towards Sam. "Sam and Eran already asked me to watch it with them."

Dad raises an eyebrow, a hint of a smirk growing on his face. "A date…?"

I groan and push myself out of his lap. "Dad…I already get enough teasing from Sam and Eran, I really don't need it from you too."

Mom rolls her eyes and whacks Dad in the bad of the head. "Percy, don't you think she's a little young for that? Stop teasing her. She's obviously just hanging out with her friends. Her very silly friends." She smiles at me, eyes twinkling. "Go on now and have fun. But be careful and behave yourself, alright?"

"Yes Mom." I pick myself up and brush little bits of dirt off my jeans. "Come on Sam, Eran is probably waiting up there for us."

"Yeah, with snacks!" Sam grabs my hand again, hauling me away from my parents and off to the huge pile of stones that seriously looks like a pile of deer poop. I really hope that Zeus doesn't smite me for thinking the truth…

Eran pokes his head over the side of the boulders and waves. "Hey! You guys made it! Get up here, the fireworks are going to start in like five minutes!"

"Yeah, yeah." Sam walks up to the pile of boulders and starts scaling Zeus' Fist like he does the climbing wall. Halfway up, he pauses and looks down at me. "Come on, it's easy. Easier than climbing up a lava spewing, boulder hurling climbing wall anyway."

A wry smile graces my face, and I sigh pointedly as I approach the boulders. Finding crevices for my hands, I start scaling the stack, noting that it actually is a lot easier than going up the climbing wall.

Once on top of Zeus' Fist, I see a blanket spread out over the uppermost boulder, with a picnic basket opened and spilling out all sorts of food. Which is good, because after the training and all of the running around, I'm starving.

Eran tosses me a sandwich and checks a very fancy looking bronze wristwatch. "Fireworks should be starting in two and a half minutes now. Get comfy, you're in for a hell of a show."

Sam nods as he starts stuffing his face. "The Hecate and Hephaestus cabins pool their work together for the fireworks. Mortal fireworks have nothing on the stuff we've got in camp. It's like comparing firecrackers and atomic bombs. Except that our bombs make for a really good show."

"You know it!" Eran grins at the darkening night sky. "But I bet that if I were working on the fireworks, they would be even better. I asked Dad if we could come to camp early, but he and Mom insisted on taking a family vacation in Canada."

"Canada?" To me, that sounds like a pretty cool vacation. Because of Mom and Dad's schedules, most of our family trips involve going to visit Grandma Sally and Grandpa Paul. Though now that I know what's actually out there, I can see why they didn't take me out into the middle of nowhere on a camping trip before. "What's Canada like?"

Sam and Eran grin at each other. "Sunshine and rainbows."

I stare at the two of them, not quite understanding what they're getting at. "Uh…sunshine and rainbows?"

The two of them snicker a little, before Sam decides to dispel a little of my confusion. "Their visit coincided with some of the Pride parades, they hold them during the summer. And from what Eran's said, there's a ton of rainbow banners involved."

Eran holds his hands over his head, moving them in an arc. "All hail the rainbow!"

Sam elbows Eran. "Think we could co-opt Iris to have a little something here?"

"No need." Eran points up into the sky. "The Hecate cabin has it covered."

I look up into the sky just as the sound of the first fireworks echo through the camp. A few seconds later, fireworks explode in the sky, first a blue lightning bolt, then a fully colored peacock. The third firework to go off is a bright green trident that seems to fill up the entire sky.

I look over at Sam questioningly. "Are they firing off the symbols for each of the cabins?"

"Yep." He points into the sky. "Look, Athena is next!"

I look up as a red spear fades, only to be replaced with a silver owl. After the owl, which I swear looks like it's watching us, appears a golden lyre and a matching golden bow. The symbol of Cabin Seven, Apollo. "So they're doing them in order, huh?"

"Yep!" Sam grins as the silver bow of Artemis flashes against the light of the nearly full moon. "It's become tradition to start the fireworks show with a tribute to all of our parents. So we launch fireworks in cabin order. We've only heard good things about the fireworks, so I guess they like them."

"They like them, huh?" I look back up to the sky as more symbols explode into being before fading out of existence. "I think I can see why…" After all, it's my first time seeing these fireworks, and I can already tell that I'll never get tired of seeing them.

As we move on from cabin symbols to the fireworks shows, the re-enactments of past battles and famous events, the three of us snuggle together under some blankets that Eran must have stashed away. And I swear that Eran is a miniature furnace, it's like he's got liquid fire running through his veins.

Bundled up all nice and warm with enough snacks to last for hours. These two are definitely something else. And something that I wasn't expecting when I first arrived at camp.

 _Best. Friends. Ever…_


	19. Alliances

**Sorry if this chapter is a bit shorter, I'm going to try and make up for it with the next one, where they actually play Capture the Flag. For now, let's see how the teams shape up.**

* * *

Yawning, I stretch my arms above my head and roll my shoulders. I look around, a little confused. The last thing I remember was cuddling up in a pile of blankets with Sam and Eran the demigod heater to watch the fireworks from on top of Zeus' Fist.

How then, did I appear back in my bed?

"Oh good, you're up."

I snap my head towards the sound of the voice, recognizing that jet black hair and those sea green eyes immediately. "Dad? What happened? The last thing I remember was-"

"Falling asleep on Zeus' Fist with your two little friends?" He smiles at me and ruffles my hair. "Yeah, I found the three of you asleep together, so I had you mom go and get Leo and Will so that they could take the boys back to their cabins. Don't worry, everything's fine."

"Oh…" That explains why I don't remember getting to bed. I must have slept the whole way back. And since I'm wearing my pajamas, Dad must have changed me. "Great…now I feel like a little kid again. I haven't needed you to change me since I was like four." A scary thought suddenly occurs to me. _Wait...does that mean that Nico changed my diapers?_ I shudder at the thought of my godfather seeing every inch of my bare butt, even if I was a tiny little kid. It's scary enough to know that my parents saw it, let alone other adults. Especially my combat teacher.

 _Oh gods, my combat teacher was changing my clothes and my diapers...and he probably fed me too._ I groan internally as I reprocess the fact that I'm learning swordplay from mytoddler years babysitter. _Kai can never know about this..._

Dad chuckles, his smile reflected in his eyes. "Well, you still are a kid. Maybe not quite as little as when you were four, and definitely more dangerous…but still a kid. Anyway, it's time for breakfast, so get your butt out of bed and get dressed."

"Fine…" I don't see why Dad is so eager to get me out of bed early every morning. I mean, it's summer, and Grandma always lets me sleep in whenever I stay with her during the summer. But maybe she just liked spoiling me.

Of course, now I know why I was always shipped off to her house every summer. But...that's totally not my fault.

Not. At. All.

* * *

Walking into the dining pavilion to sit with everyone for breakfast is going to take some getting used to, that's for sure. It's new and exciting, but sometimes a little hard to wrap my head around. After all, it's only been a couple of weeks since 'the incident'. But that's not the only thing that promises to be exciting.

Will, that cocky, overzealous son of Zeus, grins at me from across the table. "So, it's Capture the Flag on Friday. First game of the summer."

"Really?" I'd heard of the Capture the Flag games here, but I haven't had the chance to actually play in one yet. "So…who picks the teams?"

For some reason, that makes Will laugh. I frown, turning to Kai, sitting further down the table. He looks up from his plate, notices my gaze, then rolls his eyes. "You've got to make alliances with other cabins, recruit them to your team."

"Oh…" I guess that makes sense. But I still don't know how they set up the teams since I'd never been to camp before this summer, and this seems to be the first game of the season. "So…who's making the alliances?"

Will starts laughing again, but his time, Sam speaks up. "Actually…for the first game this summer, it's Zeus vs. Poseidon." He glances at my dad. "Because during the last game, Percy and Jason decided to get in on it for old times' sake. Usually the adults either split up or sit out. But last time, they teamed up because I got the flag for my cabin. So with both of them racing after the other flag, they turned it into a race and Percy won."

Dad smiles brightly right next to me. "True. But this time, we're going to be sitting out and letting the kids play on their own. Which means that it's your turn to put together a Capture the Flag team. Choose your allies carefully."

Will smirks at me. "So, which cabins are you going to try and win over?"

It takes me about half a second to choose my best options. "Hades, Apollo, and Athena."

Will nearly chokes on his food, and part of me wants to thump him on the back to help him out. "Hold up, you want Death Breath over there? Why?" And the other part is quite content to let him choke on his food. Sadistic, I know, but sometimes people deserve this sadistic side of me.

Kai shoots him a withering look, but I ignore it. "Yeah, and why not? He's strong, fast, and he fights really well. Why wouldn't I want him on my team?" I turn my eyes onto Kai. "Well? How about it? Will you be on my team for Capture the Flag?"

To say that he looks surprised would be an understatement. It looks like he wasn't expecting me to be so forward about it. The earlier glare melts off his face, replaced by a soft expression of bewilderment. "Uh…well…" He glances at Nico, who smiles and nods at him encouragingly. "Alright, I'll play on your team." _That was a lot easier than I expected._

"Awesome!" I turn to Sam with a hopeful smile. "What about your cabin? Think you can convince them to play on my team?"

After exchanging a smile with his older brother, Sam heads over to the Apollo table and sits down with his siblings, obviously talking to them about playing on my team for the Capture the Flag game. All I can do is hope that they like me enough to play with me. Or that they like Sam enough to humor him.

Will smirks at me and shakes his head. "And here I thought that you would pick a strong cabin like Ares. You have to be smart when picking your allies."

That little comment makes my blood run cold. "I don't think I would want them on my team…they're not very nice. At least, not from what I've seen."

That coaxes a frown onto Will's face, as though just realizing that there's something he's not aware of. "Whoa, what happened? Was there a fight with the Ares Cabin?"

"Wasn't much of a fight…" I fiddle a little with my hair, then shake my head. "Doesn't matter. I just wouldn't trust them to watch my back."

Will's frown deepens a little, before being wiped right off his face. "Alright then, if you don't want the Ares Cabin, then I'll recruit them."

"Hey Ciara!" I turn around to see Sam waving over from the Apollo table, making a huge scene right in the middle of breakfast. "We're in! Apollo's on Poseidon's team for Capture the Flag!"

That little announcement makes me beam with pride as I turn back to glance at Will. "Looks like I've got the best archers in camp on my side."

All of a sudden, Eran jumps up from his spot and hurries over to the Hephaestus table. And while he starts chatting animatedly with his aunts and uncles, Mom turns her head over towards the Athena table. "Hey you guys! How do you feel about lending your niece a hand this Friday!?"

Cheers erupt from the Athena table, and I can see Otis through the crowd of hands, smiling excitedly at me. It looks like asking for allies over breakfast is a good idea, because things are starting to stack up nicely. I've got the genius children of a war goddess on my side as well.

As expected, rivalries both old and new start popping up as one of the older Ares campers stands up. "Oi, Will! Did I hear you say that you wanted our cabin on your team!?"

A smirk spreads across my adversary's face. "You heard right! You in?" But judging from the look on his face, he already knows what the answer is going to be. He's got that confident, almost cocky look of expectation that makes me want to just smack it halfway across camp.

The Ares campers bang fists, cups, and other assorted bangable and non-breakable objects against their table, as well as a few that do look breakable. That must be their way of saying that they approve of the alliance.

Will's eyes slide over towards another of the crowded tables, glittering a positively electric blue. "I was hoping that our resident pranksters might also try to lend a hand. There's going to be plenty of fun to go around." I raise an eyebrow questioningly. _Jeez, it sounds like he's trying to sell something to them._

He must have a closer relationship with some of the Hermes campers, because I see a lot of nodding going on at their table. A camper that I think I saw the first night at the campfire stands up. "You've got Hermes' support!"

Suddenly, I'm getting a little worried about being outnumbered and overpowered. Ares has the most warriors, and Hermes is one of the biggest cabins. On the other hand, power is only one of the reasons why I made the Hades Cabin my first priority, I've got a few others. But still, Will has managed to recruit a larger force than I have.

That is, until Eran's voice rings out across the pavilion. "Okay! Votes are in!" He grins at me, bright and mischievous. "Got room for us on your team? The Hephaestus Cabin wants to play!"

I honestly hadn't thought about recruiting Eran's cabin, but with what I've heard of some of their inventions, I'm definitely not going to turn them down, especially when they're offering their help so willingly. If they make weapons, then they probably know quite well how to use them. "Of course! As long as you don't burn down the camp."

Laughter erupts from their table and Eran looks a little embarrassed as fingers point to him. On our fourth run up the climbing wall, Eran told me how he inherited some fiery abilities from his dad, Leo. And the last thing I need to be doing is wasting time during the game trying to put out a forest fire.

With the teams starting to shape up, most of the other tables start descending into deep conversation. They're probably deciding whether or not their cabins want to play, and if so, what side they're picking. I guess that's one advantage to picking allies during breakfast, they're all getting excited for the day. And a fight is less likely to break out while everyone has food stuffed in their mouths.

It's almost like there's a war brewing. But from what I've gathered from Sam's scattered explanations of the rivalries across the camp, I guess I should have seen it coming. This whole Big Three rivalry is just one example. Though it's an example that makes me wonder why Kai agreed so readily to be on my team.

* * *

In the hours after breakfast, a couple of cabin counselors approach me, the one from the Nemesis Cabin, the other from Nike. They both look a combination of serious and eager.

The shorter of the two counselors, a girl with frizzy blond hair, freckles, and bright amber eyes opens her mouth first. "I'm Jean Kennedy, head counselor o' the Nike Cabin." She's got an accent, but I can't quite place it. "You still lookin' fer teammates fer Capture the Flag?"

"Yeah." I flick my eyes to the boy, probably fifteen years old, short dark hair and pale hazel eyes. "You here as an ally or competitor? Because I don't think Dad would like it if I got into a fight before the game on Friday."

She sticks her pinky out to me, a grin on her face. "Ally. Don' worry, I'm not stupid 'nough to mess round before Friday games. I bin wantin' to take down McGrant fer years, seemed like me best shot."

Now that is a feeling I can understand, despite her odd way of pronouncing things. Raising my hand up, I link my pinky with hers, in something of a promise. "Alright! I' looking forward to bringing him down a few pegs too."

My gaze quickly drifts to the boy, whose eyes haven't left me at all. A slight smile curls his lips as he preempts my request for an introduction. "Declan O'Hara, son of Nemesis and head counselor for Cabin Sixteen."

I look him up and down, and judging by a slight excess of black, and a smile that looks like it's got all the ulterior motives in the world, he's telling the truth. He does look like his mother is the goddess of revenge, I remember the part about Nemesis from the tour of the camp that Sam gave me when I first arrived. It looks like this son of Nemesis about to go on the warpath to get that revenge. "So…which cabin have you got it out for?"

His smile curls a little more. "Ares. They picked a fight with us about a month ago, and we've been waiting for the right opportunity to get back at them for it. Thanks to your little spat, and all the attention you drew at breakfast, that opportunity has appeared. I can bring in half a dozen experienced fighters if you'll let us take on the Ares Cabin."

Experienced fighters does sound like an advantage, especially if they're children of the goddess of revenge. And this serves me well as well. "In that case, have at them. I've got a bone to pick myself with a few of the Ares campers, but I don't mind sharing."

"Oh?" That comment seems to interest him. "Weren't they already on the receiving end of some bony justice a couple of weeks back?"

I try not to glare at him for that comment. But the fact that he made it means that he was probably there when the fight in the arena went down. "Do you have a problem with Kai?"

Declan holds up his hands and shakes his head. "Nope. I personally like the guy. Mom stands for revenge, sure, but she also stands for justice. I can respect a strong sense of justice. Besides, whether it's pleasant or unpleasant, justice is what the Underworld runs on. Me and him probably have more in common than you think."

He makes a pretty good point, and I can see how children of Hades and Nemesis might get along better. And in the case of a team event like Capture the Flag, that can only be a good thing. "In that case, I would be glad to have the Nemesis Cabin on my team. I'm sure that you all will be quite the asset."

He claps me on the shoulder, a much friendlier gesture than I would expect from a child of the goddess of revenge. Then again, it would be silly to judge someone based on the reputation of their godly parent. Nico and Kai are proof enough of that. Now, I'm feeling a lot better about our chances for the game on Friday.

Now that I have my allies, we have a chance to win.


	20. Capture the Flag

**Okay, so I've split up the Capture the Flag game a little since the chapter would end up being way too long, but I hope that the suspense at the end isn't too terrible.**

 **On another note, whenever Jean talks, those "mistakes" I make, they're intentional. Just trying to convey what kind of silent letters and contractions her accent produces. Points to anyone who can guess where she's from.**

 **And on a similar topic to the above, I'm also working on the backstories for a few of Ciara's friends. Namely, a certain dark one with a slightly bad attitude.**

 **Now, on to the sadistic game of Capture the Flag (And Try Not to Die).**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

It's only a few hours until the game of Capture the Flag. That leaves me and the other cabin leaders on my team to finish up the planning. So far, we've managed to make sure that everyone is well equipped and ready for a fight. And it's also given all of them to give me a detailed explanation of the rules, as well as a few anecdotes of past games.

Useful, since I really don't want to accidentally send anyone to the infirmary with serious injuries. That seems to be a recurring problem whenever the Ares Cabin or any of the children of The Big Three play. Apparently we're a bit of a hazard to the other players.

Which is why we've convened another meeting, one to go over the details of the plan. Just to make sure that no one gets seriously hurt, of course. Personally, I'd rather not put the abilities of the Apollo Cabin to the test if I don't have to. I'd rather put their aim to the test than their healing skills. Though I have no doubt that someone is going to be needing their healers by the time this game is over.

"If we put the flag here, then we can take advantage of the high ground." Otis grabs my attention, pointing to a spot on the map of the forest where the game is about to go down.

Kai, on the other hand, thinks it's a bad idea, his arms crossed stubbornly across his chest. "No, that's way too close to Zeus' Fist. And if I know anything about Will, it's that he'll stash his flag up there. Besides, if we take a place too high up, it'll be like broadcasting the location of the flag even before the game starts. And just so you know, while he's not very good at it yet, he can fly."

I purse my lips and frown at the map. "Isn't there somewhere up high that we can put it that has like…cliffs or something? A place that you have to either climb up, or come right down on top of, giving away your position. I mean, we're on an island, so there should be cliffs somewhere, right? Unless this island is volcanic…" _I sure hope it's not volcanic…I don't want to accidentally set something off. I know that Grandpa is called the Earthshaker. And I would rather not find out by accident if I take after him more than Dad does._

Declan shakes his head. "Don't worry, no volcano. But she cliffs are further north, out of the boundary for the game. Apparently, it took Percy and Jason forever just to convince Chiron to extend the boundaries to the edges of the forest. The cliffs are like a mile to the north."

"Damn it…" I look over the map again, trying to find something, anything, that can ensure our victory. I refuse to lose this game to Will.

Sam goes over the map, his eyes zooming back and forth across it. Then he points to a place that no one has even brought up yet. "How about here? There was an earthquake a few years ago that collapsed one of the hills. It's still pretty high up, and the ground is really uneven. But if we can work around that, or play it to our advantage, then we should be able to defend it pretty well."

Kai frowns, his eyebrows scrunching together, before relaxing a little. "That could work. But there's still the problem of keeping Will from dropping down right on top of us."

I glance at Sam, smiling. "In that case, why don't we station Cabin 7's best archers, plus a couple from the Hephaestus and Athena cabins there? That way, they can watch the sky and cover the ground."

"That could work…" Otis tilts his head, looking at the map. "Yeah, I know that place. I know where we can put the archers." He turns to Eran eagerly. "Do you guys have any non-lethal traps that you can set up quickly once the horn sounds?"

Eran pumps his fist into the air. "Of course! We can trap anything! Leave it to us, and you won't be disappointed!"

"In that case…" Declan trails a finger along the map. "We should probably send scouts out here and here to look for the other team, and one out here to check and see if their flag really is on Zeus' Fist." He glances at Kai. "It's not that I don't believe you, but Will might take advantage of that assumption and break pattern just to throw us off."

"True…" Kai takes the jab to his theory calmly before going over the map again. "If it's not on Zeus' Fist, then I can think of a few other places he might put it. So I'll go out scouting. If I run into anyone alone or in small groups, I'll deal with them. If I run into the Ares Cabin…" He looks up at Declan. "I'll be sure to shout for you guys."

Kai has been surprisingly more social than I expected. Maybe because it's a small group, or maybe it's because he's comfortable with the people here, I don't know. Then again, it could just be because he wants to win. If that's the case, then I can certainly understand the feeling. Especially seeing as his duel with Will ended in a tie.

"But if I find Will, he's mine." And there he goes with the serious tone and expression, closing up again. Of course he would claim a fight with Will all for himself. It's actually kind of funny, he has good people skills when he tries, but he just doesn't seem to want to try all that often. I wonder why…

Jean looks like she's going to jump right out of her shoes. "I'll 'ave the others ready t' go. Leave th' Hermes Cab'n t' us."

I nod quickly. "Okay, so if we've got the Nike Cabin looking after the Hermes Cabin, and the Nemesis Cabin hunting for the Ares Cabin, then who does that leave for the Apollo, Athena and Hephaestus cabins?"

Sam and Kai exchange an unpleasant look. Eran visibly cringes. "The Aphrodite Cabin shouldn't be a problem, they don't have much in the way of fighters, and their only two charmspeakers are adults, so they're sitting out. The Demeter Cabin isn't particularly powerful either, as long as you can dodge their wayward roots. But…"

"Hecate." Kai's expression grows grim. "Cabin 20, Hecate, goddess of magic. Her children are going to be trouble."

Otis looks a little uneasy as well. "I think that the Athena Cabin should work on locking down Aphrodite and Demeter. That should free up the Apollo Cabin as scouts and forward troops. But that leaves the Hecate Cabin…" It really sounds like this is the last thing he wanted to talk about.

I'm one of the only ones who hasn't been assigned a task yet. But just as I open my mouth, Kai shakes his head. "Bad idea. Unless you're hiding a mini ocean in that magic armor of yours, taking on the Hecate Cabin yourself is suicide. Or at least the fast way to get yourself turned into a rabbit. And I am not rescuing you if you get turned into a rabbit."

I grit my teeth in frustration. _How did he even know what I was going to say? Damn it…I don't need him to come to my rescue, even if I do get turned into a rabbit. I'll be the scariest rabbit ever!_ "Alright…then how do we deal with them…?" I try to get my brain working overtime, but it's being stubborn. "Eran, do you think that you and some of your siblings can manage to take on the Hecate Cabin without burning down half the forest?"

Eran frowns, closing his eyes to think. "Well…if we can set the traps fast enough, I guess we might be able to work out a plan for moving out fast enough to intercept them. We're not exactly the most stealthy of cabins though…" Then his eyes flash open and a smile blooms on his face. "Wait, stealthy! That's it!" He backs away from the table and turns away. "I've got an idea, I'll be back in time for the game!" And with that, he just runs off without an explanation.

"Uh…" I tilt my head, trying to see if it's just the angle that's making all of this seems weird. Short story, it's not. "What…is he talking about?"

Sam shrugs. "Who knows? He's always like this. But knowing him, if he's this excited about it, then it's bound to be something good."

"Yeah…" But there's still one thing to do. "Well, since everyone else has their jobs, I guess I'll go out on scouting as well."

Kai raises an eyebrow at me. "You want to scout? Why?"

I roll my eyes and shake my head. "I'm small, I'm fast, and as long as I stay close to the creek, I can make a quick escape. The naiads like me."

That doesn't seem to make him feel any better. "Fine… If anything happens, just scream. Someone should come to rescue you if you do."

I take great offense to the notion that I won't be able to protect myself. This isn't like that time with the Ares guys when I was unarmed and tired. This time, I'm more than ready to fight.

* * *

As the sun sinks lower in the sky, the various members of my alliance spread out around the green silk flag, decorated with a shimmering trident.

"You guys ready?" My eyes trail over my friends and allies, curiously examining the range of emotions on their faces.

"Looks like…" Eran's happy-go-lucky demeanor is a little strained now. He looks me up and down nervously. "Where's your gear?"

I'd nearly forgotten, but the plan was to avoid tiring myself out, so I'd decided not to put my armor on until the start of the game. "Ah, right."

Eran deadpans. "You seriously forgot your armor? You're going to end up in the infirmary if you play like that."

I roll my eyes and hold my arm in front of his fae, shaking one of my bracelets. "Of course I didn't forget my armor. I just wanted to avoid wearing it all day, since it's better to conserve as much of my energy as possible."

He looks a little confused, so I lower my arm and tap the bracelets together, a small flash of light bursting at the point of contact. Armor extends over my body, glinting silver in the dim light. It fits comfortably, comfortingly, and it makes me feel ten times stronger. Tapping my earrings next, they disappear, only to reappear on my back, silvery blades held together in a sheath.

Declan gapes at me. "Where did you get that!? That doesn't even look Greek!"

I shrug. "My uncle made it all for me. He was the one in charge of the design. Maybe he felt like trying out something different."

"Your uncle?" He frowns a little. "Uh…you talking about Leo or something?"

"No…" Somehow, everyone seems to forget that Poseidon has a lot of cyclops children. "My uncle Tyson. He's a cyclops. I went to visit him in Grandpa's palace back when I first came to camp. That's where I get my cool toys."

Declan opens his mouth to say something more, but the conch horn sounds, interrupting our conversation and signaling the start to the game. I glance around at my allies, and a series of quick nods ensues before nearly three dozen demigods sprint out into the forest, off to scout ahead or find a battle.

I head through the trees, staying close to the creek. As long as I have access to water, I should be able to handle anything that comes my way. But on the other hand, it also means that if anyone on the other team has half a brain, they'll come to the creek looking for me.

I just hope that Will has more brains than the rest of them. A rematch with him would definitely make this win all the sweeter. Because my team is definitely taking the win.

Creeping along the creek, my eyes dart around, searching for anything that doesn't look like a dryad. I was informed by the others that sometimes, the games will include monsters that Chiron stocks in the woods. There's no guarantee that he's put any new ones in after the last game, but no one has been able to confirm that there are none. Which means that all of us have to be on our toes.

Well, I am certainly on my toes, seeing as I have this annoying little habit of stepping on the balls of my feet. It's probably just a remnant from all my years in gymnastics. Not that I'll be telling anyone that.

About ten minutes in, I've covered a lot of ground. But seeing as I've covered all of the ground near the creek, I've got no choice but to start venturing away from the water. I would rather not, since it's my most powerful weapon, but it looks like I might not have much of a choice.

I sneak quietly through the trees, keeping low to the ground and trying to avoid stepping on any particularly noisy twigs.

A twig snaps.

But it's not me.

I leap forwards, away from the source of the sound, spinning around and watching as about eight forms emerge from the trees. And unfortunately, I recognize three of them.

Greg… Son of Ares.

I back away from them, my hand going straight to the sword on my back. "Great…exactly who I wanted to run into…" _Why did I have to be the one to run into the Ares Cabin…?_

His expression tells me that he's perfectly fine with running into me. And somehow, I get the feeling that he's here to dance with me. _If only it were ballroom dancing…_

I finger the emergency flare that Eran gave to each of the groups. I can only use it once, but it's programmed to display whatever message I want it to. Which means that this is the perfect opportunity to send a message to the Nemesis Cabin. After all, their intended prey is right here in front of me, and it wouldn't be right to deny my allies the pleasure of tearing into their prey.

But first I have to get the flare off.

The Ares campers slowly surround me. But this time, I'm much better prepared. Already, there's a tugging in my stomach as I call out to the water of the creek. I should be able to get what I need before a fight breaks out. And if I time it right, I can even use the flare to my advantage.

"Nice to see you again, runt." Greg sneers cruelly at me. "You know, I still haven't paid you back for that stunt you pulled in the arena."

I'd like to say I took that calmly. Truth is, my temper can get the better of me at times. "Stunt!? You mean when you nearly killed Kai!? If anything, I should have kept you in that water prison a little longer! You've been a pain in the ass ever since I got here!" I should probably shut up, but I don't really do quiet and shy very well. I guess I proved that when I shouted at all twelve of the Olympians…

The water is nearly here, so now, it's time for a distraction. I grab the flare and hold it high above my head. "The Ares Cabin is here!" I shoot the flare into the sky, not bothering to check and see if the message got through. The flare is so bright that no matter where in camp my allies are, they'll be able to see it as long as they look up.

All of the Ares campers look up into the sky, glaring at the flare. And that's when I take my chance to rush a wave of water into the clearing, dousing everyone and everything in fresh water.

Crouching, I leap at the nearest Ares camper, tackling her to the ground by targeting her legs. I may lack size and strength, but that doesn't stop me from and pinning her to the ground with some help from carefully constructed watery shackles. As long as I keep focused, I can make a bunch of stuff out of water.

Distraction, however, is my enemy. And there is nothing more distracting to an overly ADHD demigod than the sudden appearance of a mass of shadows right in the middle of the sopping wet beginnings of what I thought was going to be a rough fight.

From that mass of shadows appears the one teammate that I suppose I should have expected would come to back me up first. "Hey…Kai."

He draws his pitch black sword, holding it out, ready to fight. "Well, looks like the emergency flares work."

I scoff, rolling my eyes. "No kidding. You got here in like two seconds."

"Five, actually." He backs towards me cautiously. "The Nemesis Cabin should be here in minute and a half. Think you can hold out that long?"

The Ares girl tosses me off and sends me rolling. But I recover quickly, stumbling to my feet as I draw and separate my swords. "Alone, no. If I've got someone to watch my back, maybe."

"Then stay behind me and focus on your side." Kai is being way more talkative than usual. In fact, he seems to get more talkative whenever there's a fight going down. But maybe it's just my imagination.

The first camper to make a move is the girl that I'd pinned down earlier, coming at me from my left side. I'm too close to Kai to risk dodging it, which leaves me to catch the blade between both of mine, holding her at as much of a standstill as I can, despite her being at least six inches taller than me.

I hate being short.

As I try to extricate myself from this confrontation with the daughter of Ares, the water grabs at her feet, crawling slowly up her body. Her eyes widen in alarm. "What the- What are you doing?"

"Trying to get you off of me!" I push her back, using a sudden burst of strength.

But the effort it takes for me to push her away rips my swords out of my grip and sends them spinning towards the other side of the clearing. Great…just great.

She gets back up, murder in her eyes. And to make things worse, she's right between me and my swords. I'll have to run around her if I want to get them back. "Oh…you are so dead Fish Face."

"Fish Face?" Admittedly, not the most flattering insulting name she could have come up with. And not the most accurate either. But I suppose that's the whole point.

Bending at the knees, she tries pouncing on me, only to be bowled over by another camper, one tat I vaguely recognize.

Luckily for me, this camper is on my team.

Declan and the rest of his siblings race into the clearing after the first bowled over my opponent, weapons at the ready as they lay eyes on the children of Ares. Declan's face twists into a vicious smile. The smile of sweet revenge. "You two get out of here, we've got this."

I feel like I want to protest, since they're the ones who came looking for a fight with me. But seeing the looks on their faces, it's probably better to just stick to the plan and let them have at it. "Fine, just try not to plug up the infirmary too bad."

Declan's eyes twinkle at me. "No promises. Now get going! The flag is waiting!"

Clamping a hand around my arm, Kai pulls me out from the circle of Ares and Nemesis campers. Leaning back towards the trees, shadows swirl around us before everything goes completely black.

Darkness, a rush of cold wind, incredible pressure, and a feeling of weightlessness, coupled with the sensation of falling. Then color whirls back into the world, and I'm in a clearing, Kai's strong grip still squeezing my arm.

"What was…"

"Shadow Travel." Kai drops my arm and sighs. "That was Shadow Travel. It's one of the abilities that Nico and I have. We can use the shadows to move around. I'm only good at moving short distances. The most I've been able to move with any accuracy is about five kilometers, or very specific and familiar locations. On the other hand, Nico's gotten good enough with it to be able to cross the ocean whenever he wants."

"So…you used it to get us away from the Ares Cabin?" I look around, trying to place us. "Uh…where are we, exactly?"

He points over to something behind me. "Take a look."

I spin around, searching for whatever he's referring to. And I see it in an instant. Zeus' Fist, jutting out of the ground. And on top of it, a blue flag emblazoned with a lightning bolt.

"Ah…" I glance down and see several guards at the base of the pile of rocks. "Time to end the game, huh?"

"Yeah. I figured that it would be here. Luckily, I'm right." His breath hitches and his ears twitch a little. "Someone's coming."

Turning his sword towards the approaching form, I slink towards the ground, trying to sense the closest source of water. Luckily, we're on the side of Zeus' Fist that's closest to the lake. That, I can definitely work with.

"I should have known that it would be you two." Out of the trees walks the one person I've been itching to fight all day.

Will.

* * *

 **Ooh...cliffhanger. Don't worry, I'm already getting started on the next chapter.**

 **Alright, so just to warn you, there's a little bit of a spoiler here involving the backstory of that certain dark kid with a bad attitude. So if you don't want backstory spoilers, skip the rest of the bold text.**

 **English grandmother and Japanese grandfather (on the mortal side), born in London, raised there until being "orphaned" the age of five, before being brought to camp by an older sibling that the kid could only ever have imagined.**

 **Still trying to decide on a good Japanese last name. Trying to find a balance between what "sounds" cool, but also means something relevant or interesting. I read what could be considered to be an unhealthy amount of manga, so you would think that figuring out a last name would be easy. I assure you, it is not.**


	21. Where There's a Will, There's a Win

**It might not be quite the fight you expected, but I figured that if it went two on one, it might get a little...destructive. And the last thing we need is a bunch of rampaging dryads and satyrs complaining about these three mowing down the forest.**

 **So, it's time for a little rematch. And time for the game to end.**

* * *

Standing in front of us is Will, the one person that I've got several reasons to want to put on the ground. On the other hand, Kai might want to put him in the ground, and that might cause a few problems.

But something about Will's growing smirk throws me off. _There's two of us…why does he look like he's okay with that? Does he really think that he can take both of us at once? That's crazy!_

Kai sinks into a combative stance, ready to spring into action in an instant. "It's about time you showed your face. I was wondering why I hadn't run into you yet. I've run into pretty much every other cabin out here."

Will twirls his sword in a circle, lazily stepping towards us. "Well, that's only because I'm one of the ones on guard duty. My niece and nephew have been on guard duty as well." He glances at me. "Though I'm surprised that you aren't holing up at your flag. You must have a lot of faith in your team."

The implication doesn't escape me. "Of course I do. We put the plan together as a team. And they can make up for my lack of experience with the game." But as I answer him, something just doesn't feel right, it almost feels like he's playing around. He's acting way too casual for someone who has a sword pointed at him.

 _Wait…something's wrong here._

I glance at Kai, whose eyes are focused on Will, then at the flag. _Is there anyone going after it? I don't hear any fighting going on in that direction. Is he trying to keep us here?_

I take a few steps forward, moving slightly between the two of them. "Kai, get out of here."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the tip of his sword lower a little. "What are you saying? There's no way you can take him on your own. Especially not without a weapon!" The hiss of his voice is disapproving, and bordering on venomous.

I grit my teeth and try to stay quiet. "I don't need my swords, I'll be perfectly fine like this. I'll hold him here while you go get the flag. My cabin already has a flag, so if I pick up the second, it'll be a lottery to see which cabin on my team gets it." I smile a little at the thought of that result. "If you go, then next game, I'll have a shot at taking you down."

I hear an irritated click of his tongue, but before I can roll my eyes, his sword disappears from view and I hear him take a couple of steps back. "Fine, just don't get yourself killed."

 _Well I would hope that I don't get killed. Besides, last I checked, killing and serious maiming are against the rules._

Kai turns towards Zeus' Fist, heading straight for the flag. But Will doesn't move, he just shakes his head wryly. "He's right, you know. There's no way that you can take me without a weapon. In fact, last I checked, you couldn't take me with a weapon either. I could be after him in an instant. So what makes you so sure that you can stall me long enough for it to matter?"

The tugging in my stomach gets stronger with every passing second. The water is coming, and fast. "Are you forgetting that I'm a legacy of Poseidon?" In a huge wave of lake water, my back-up plan arrives, crashing through the trees. "I can do more than swing a sword around. So why don't you put the toothpick away and dance with me. I think I can take your lightning this time." And I believe it. With the water around me, swirling into the air, I feel like I can take him this time, really take him.

His smiles fades a little, becoming slightly apprehensive. Maybe now, he'll take this seriously. "If that's how you want it, fine." He sheathes his sword, taking a few steps closer to me. Tiny little bolts of electricity arc over his skin, some of them bouncing off his armor and onto the ground.

Water rises under me, lifting me off the ground as it continues to swirl in circles. Honestly, I still haven't learned how to control this power properly. But it all feels so right, completely instinctual. And now, it doesn't matter that he's bigger and stronger than me.

The wind starts to pick up, and Will start hovering, rising higher and higher off the ground. "You're not the only one with power over the elements." He quickly gets to my eyes level, about eight feet off the ground. "I'll warn you now, though." Bolts of lightning explode outward, smashing into the wave holding me up. "Water conducts electricity!"

He's right, water does conduct electricity. Unfortunately for him, I'm something of a tomboy. The electricity races through the water, headed straight for me. But instead of shocking the living daylights out of me, it just bounces right off the bottoms of my shoes. Still tickles a little though.

I smile cheekily at him. "Yeah…about that…" I lift up one foot and show him my shoe. "Rubber-soled sneakers. Sorry. I guess I just don't have a very good sense of fashion."

His eye twitches a little, but he forces a smile back onto his face. "Huh, nice call. Looks like this might take longer than I thought. Saved by bad fashion sense."

He raises his hand, and I've got about a split second before he shoots lightning straight at my stomach. I have just enough time to use the water to make octopus tentacles, one of which grabs me around the waist and pulls me out of the way of his lightning and into the safety of the growing column of water.

I can't hear him, but his lips are moving slightly. _So…what's he planning next?_

I don't have to wait long, because an instant later, he shoots another bolt of lightning at me, this time aiming to electrify the water.

 _Oh gods! Bad!_ I raise my arms above my head and whip them down in an imitation of swimming. And while I've always been a decently fast swimmer, supersonic is not the speed I was going for. I burst out of the top of the column, flying an extra ten feet into the air. But just in time too, because the lightning shatters the column of water like a glass ball.

I start falling, and Will starts flying up, probably to catch me. Or maybe to dangle me above the ground. Either way, it's so not happening.

At a single mental command, the water on the ground, no longer electrified, whips up and pulls me back down to the ground, cushioning my fall easily. I look up at Will, grinning. "Looks like I'm starting to understand how Grandpa's powers work. Thanks for being a test dummy."

He's about thirty feet above me. Directly above me. Now, there's no need to aim, I just shoot the water upwards as fast as it will go. The streams of water erupt around him, but despite his every effort to dodge, I keep my eyes on him, and I keep the streams going after him.

 _Gotta catch him…have to drag him back down here. The longer he stays up there, the higher the chance that he'll forget about fighting me, and go back to defending the flag._

Some of the water catches his foot, dragging him back down towards the ground as he struggles to get free. But I've made the water dense, heavy. He's basically trying to pull his foot out of the ground after a mudslide. He's not going anywhere unless he wants to blast this whole clearing apart. And I'm sure that Chiron will have words for him if he does.

Eventually, he stops struggling, and instead comes down to fight me face to face, right in the middle of a whirlpool of water. It sloshes around the two of us, pulling him to the ground, and propping me up on bubbles.

He grins at me, a little painfully. "You're definitely strong enough without a weapon, I'll give you that. I thought that I would be able to take you out quickly, but it looks like that's not going to happen."

I smile right back at him, very satisfied with how this fight is turning out. "Your teammates will just have to hope that Kai doesn't flatten them when he takes the flag. Because you're not going to be around to stop him."

"That so…? I think you might be underestimating my allies." He raises his hand, sparks coming off it as he prepares more lightning.

 _Or you're underestimating mine._

But just as we're ready to go another round, the conch horn sounds, freezing both of us in our tracks. I blink slowly, looking over towards my team's home base. "Did he…?" The water around me drops to the ground, since we're not supposed to fight now that the game is over.

"Could be my team." Will smirks at me, the sparks around him disappearing. "The Poseidon flag might not be green anymore."

I wait a few seconds, wondering who grabbed which flag. But luckily, Eran doesn't keep me waiting long. A firework shoots into the sky, a bright green trident, signaling that our team won. "Yes!" I jump up and down in a hyper haze. "We won!"

And as if to make my prediction come true, another firework is launched into the sky. Eran designed a bunch of fireworks with the symbols of the different cabins on our team. And the one that explodes in the sky…

A dark purple helmet. The symbol of Hades.

"He did it! Kai grabbed the flag!" I glance back at Will, who looks a little dumbfounded by the results. "See you back at the campfire. Looks like the next game is Poseidon vs. Hades. We'll have to pick this up again next time."

I leave Will behind, sprinting through the trees towards where the firework was launched from. It's time for me to meet up with my team and congratulate Kai on snagging the flag.

* * *

I pop out of the trees as son as I hear familiar voices. And gathered around Chiron are members of both teams. Including Kai, holding a pitch black flag with a purple helmet on it. The proof that he was the one to bring the flag back across the boundary into our territory.

Sam must have heard my footsteps, not that it was hard, considering how fast I was running and how much noise I made. He turns around and waves at me. "Hey! We did it! Kai got the flag!"

I wave back and jog up to the group. "Yeah, I saw the firework go off after the horn blew. Came straight here once I figured out where all you guys were."

"Came straight here, huh? So where were you?" Eran peers at me curiously. "You're the last one on our team to show up, and we were all over the place."

I laugh nervously, trying not to sound like I was off committing violent homicide. "Uh…kinda…half trying to drown Will McGrant before the game ended?"

Declan frowns at me, before his face breaks out in a grin. "Well, I don't blame you. That guy can seriously get on my nerves sometimes. I'll never understand why he's so popular with the girls."

"Neither will I…" I honestly can't say that I like the guy. I mean, I don't hate him, but still. He's cocky and rude, and generally just a pain in my butt. On the other hand, it's at least fun to argue with him. I suppose that could be a redeeming feature.

But judging by the frantic cheering coming from my teammates, it looks like it's time for us to wrap up this game and head to the campfire.

 _I wonder if Eran is good at making s'mores?_

* * *

The bonfire tonight is huge. I swear, the thing has to be like fifteen feet high, and it's bright gold. I've been to a few of the campfires before, but I've never seen one this bright, or this hot.

And Sam, of course, is perfectly happy sitting right in the front with Eran, closest to the blazing heat of the flames. Their godly ancestors are the god of the sun, and the god of blacksmiths and fire. Me, on the other hand, I get the feeling that I'll evaporate if I get too close to the flames.

But, I suck it up since it's the only way to get marshmallows roasted. "Alright you two, move over." I sit myself next to Sam, squishing him between me and Eran. "So…I haven't actually made s'mores before."

Sam gapes at me, and Eran leans forward, gaping at me as well. "What do you mean you haven't made s'mores? What have you been doing at the campfires?"

"Watching people sing, mostly." I shrug, aware that it's not much of an explanation. "I try to avoid burning my hair off."

Eran tosses me a high tech looking stick with a marshmallow on the end of it. "Go on, try that baby out!"

I raise an eyebrow and hold the stick towards the fire. A whirring sound rises into the air, and the stick extends towards the fire, a little blue glow around it. "Eran…what in Hades is going on?"

Eran grins at me. "Just a little something I tinkered with. It'll turn the marshmallow for you, and there's a timer to let you know when it's done. Makes for a perfectly golden marshmallow every time. I kind of needed it, since every time I try to roast marshmallows, I ended up burning them and setting people on fire."

And just like that, a little beeping comes from the other end of the stick, and I pull it away from the fire as the stick shrinks. On the other end of the stick is a perfectly golden marshmallow, as promised. Without the ominous setting people on fire part.

Sam hands me some chocolate and a couple of cookies. "That's better than graham crackers, trust me. Made by the Demeter Cabin, so they're healthy and delicious."

I squish the marshmallow and chocolate between the cookies and frown. "They're…not blue."

"Blue?" Sam's forehead creases in confusion. "What's not blue?"

"The cookies." I stare at them, not really used to cookies that aren't blue. "Whenever I went to visit Grandma, she always made blue cookies."

"Oh no…Percy got you obsessed with blue food too?" A tall blond guy with electric blue eyes comes walking over. He looks like he's Dad's age.

Suddenly, it clicks. "Wait, you've been sitting at the big breakfast table with us. You're…Jason, right?"

He smiles and sits on the ground, holding a stick shaped more like a pitchfork, with marshmallows all over it. "And you're Percy's little girl. Who has apparently been corrupted by the blue cookie virus."

"Blue cookies virus?"

He laughs and turns his marshmallows over. "Just a little joke we've had since we were teenagers. You dad is obsessed with blue food, always has been. Annabeth keeps saying that it's an unhealthy obsession, but it's not like she discourages it."

I turn my eyes back to my cookie s'more. "Is it really that weird?"

Sam snorts quietly. "Well, you are the one who makes emerald green blue raspberry lemonade. So yeah, I'd say it's weird."

Jason laughs and pats my head. "Maybe I'll bring my kids around tomorrow to meet you. They're off with some of their friends right now, but they'll be around all summer. I'm sure you guys will be best friends in no time."

This has got to be one of the most eventful days of my life. Blue cookies are weird, apparently. Jason wants to introduce me to his children. The Hades Cabin has one of the flags. And I'm still trying to get used to how crazy this whole place is, with it's golden campfire with fifteen foot flames.

But as I bite into my cookie s'more, I figure that it doesn't really matter. Right now, I just want to stuff my face with sugar, and listen to the Apollo Cabin's nightly sing-a-long.


	22. Three Graces

**Sorry for taking so long to update. I've been swamped with end of term homework, though I managed to get two of my essays finished up. And Camp NaNoWriMo started about 24 hours ago, so I've been doing some stuff for that too. On the bright side, all I have left is reading one book with thirteen chapters, and sixteen chapters between a couple of other books, so nothing I can't handle. Oh, and a major essay due on my birthday, but no biggie.**

 **By the way, pan (pansexual in this case) means that a character's sexual orientation basically includes the entire gender spectrum. For anyone who remembers the fourth book, Battle of the Labyrinth, you'll remember that Pan means "all" (kinda like how Pangaea, the name of the ancient supercontinent, means "all earth"). So pansexual and panromantic basically mean "attracted to all" either sexually or romantically. Meaning in this case, Eran.**

 **Anyway, I hope to make things a little weird for our little legacy before the major stuff starts going down. So, let us welcome the three Graces. And have a little pool party too. Splish splash...**

* * *

After that awesome game of Capture the Flag, I'm in a great mood. Great enough to make plans to go down to the lake later for a swim. And as I much on a stack of grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon and sausages, along with a couple of drenched pancakes, I notice that I'm not the only one in a good mood. _Maybe I can drag a few people to the lake with me…_

Down the table, Kai seems to be in a significantly better mood than he's shown the last week. It must be because he's going to get to lead a team during the next game of Capture the Flag. And I'll get to have a chance to fight him again.

But before I can try striking up a conversation with him, a boy and two girls sit around me. They look like siblings, the boy with light brown hair and the girls with bright blond hair, though all with identical tanned skin and eyes that seem to change colors the longer I look at them. I swear that it almost gives me vertigo.

The boy snaps me out of my daze with a smile. "Hey! I'm Caiden, Caiden Grace, legacy of Zeus and Aphrodite." He looks like he's about ten, maybe eleven. "You're Uncle Percy's kid, right?"

I nod slowly, taking in the fact that he called my dad his uncle. "Yeah I'm Ciara Jackson. You must be Jason's son, right?" Same last name, and the day after Jason said he'd bring his kids around to meet me. Has to be Jason's kid.

"Yep!" He beams an almost blinding smile. "And these are my sisters Haley and Silena." He motions to the two girls who look like they're only eight or nine years old, and they smile just as brightly as their older brother. "They're twins, but Silena takes more after Mom, and Haley is like me and Dad. We got some of the cool flying powers, Silena got the charmspeak!"

The girl closest to me grins eagerly, pulling on my sleeve. "Look at me!"

Something irresistible compels me to look at her, turning my head just in time for her to kiss my cheek. A violent blush erupts on my face and I nearly fall backwards into Caiden. "Wha-!?"

"Silena!" Her sister pulls her back, wrapping her arms around the other girl's chest. "Mommy said not to do that! You can't just go around kissing people!"

Silena pouts a little. "But Uncle Nico said it was okay…"

"He said that it was okay in Europe, they use it to say hello!" Her sister chides her, and none too gently. "You can't do that here! You just met her!"

"But she's so pretty!" The pout only becomes stronger.

Her sister isn't having any of that. "You can't just kiss people because they're pretty!"

"Sorry about that…" Caiden laughs nervously behind me. "Silena likes to kiss people she thinks are pretty. We've managed to tone it down to where she'll just kiss them on the cheek, but if she tries to go for your lips, I suggest that you run. I think she spends too much time in the Aphrodite cabin with our aunts and uncles. They must be teaching her too much about love…"

I nearly choke on my words. "L-love!? Are you saying that she-?"

"Dunno, she acts like this with about half a dozen people, though you're the one she's warmed up to the quickest. Usually she waits more than a minute before pulling that…and udually she'll actually say hi first."

"What happened?" I turn around quickly to see Eran standing there with a plate piled with food, a curious expression on his face. "Did I miss something?"

I groan and lay my head down on the table. "Just meeting some overly touchy new friends."

Eran sits down across from me, waving a strip of bacon in the air. "Let me guess, you got hit with one of Silena's kisses?"

I groan again, giving him his answer. He just laughs while Caiden rubs my back. "Sorry…I guess I should have warned you. I didn't know that you were bad with being touched."

"I'm not…I just…" I lift my head up and snatch one of the few remaining sausages from my plate. "I see Eran and Sam flirting with each other, and I'm not quite sure what's up with that, now I've got a little girl tricking me into letting her give me a kiss. It's all just a little…"

"Weird?" Eran's smile grows larger. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, land of the weird and home of the demigods. Although, if you really want to see where the weird stuff happens, go into the Aphrodite cabin with a love potion from the Hecate cabin. Now that's weird. Can't go more than two feet without having someone flirting with you. They will flirt with anyone."

"…And you know this how?" I regret the question immediately after it leaves my mouth.

Eran grins. "I think I'll save the story about that little accident for another day. Or maybe for a campfire." He points a sausage wrapped in several strips of bacon at my face. "But I promise, it'll make you turn even redder than you are now."

Having him point out that I'm blushing really isn't helping, and I bury my face in my arms. "Eran…I hate you…"

"No you don't! I'm awesome! Nobody hates me!" He sure has a way of stroking his own ego. Not that he's wrong though…I doubt that anyone could actually bring themselves to hate him.

"You've only been here two days and you're already torturing her?" Now that's a voice I know well.

I raise my head from the table and turn around to see Nico smiling. "Nico!"

Dad snickers from down the table. "Well, I guess we can see who her favorite uncle is. I wonder if her favorite aunt will be Thalia or Hazel…"

"Hey! Don't leave me out!" A woman with tanned skin, brown hair, and multi-colored eyes looks distinctly affronted. "I might be her favorite!"

Jason laughs loudly. "Well, Hazel is a little timid, but Thalia's a lot like Nico. I wouldn't be surprised if she turns out to be Ciara's favorite type of relative. She might like them even better than Percy."

A couple of the adults suck in their breath, before Dad's voice echoes through the pavilion. "Nico and Thalia!? That's her type!? Why is it that I'm nobody's type!? I'm supposed to be everybody's type!"

Nico's smile fades and he groans. "Percy…its been seventeen years. Will you please give it a rest?"

"Why? I should know what my daughter's type is!" Dad's arms start flailing, something he does when he's exasperated, excited, or both.

I lean across the table towards Eran. "Do you have any idea what this is about?"

"Uh…" He grins and turns a little red. "So…Nico used to have a crush on your dad when they were kids, before getting together with Will. And apparently he told your dad that he was cute, but not his type, and that he got over his crush. And Percy spent years asking him how he wasn't his type."

"I thought he let that go, though…" Caiden leans forward to join our discussion. "That's as old a joke as Dad's romance with bricks."

"Romance with bricks…?" Somehow, I feel like this is another story I shouldn't hear, but I'm still strangely curious. "Do I want to know?"

"Probably not… It involves getting hit in the head with multiple bricks and other blunt objects." Caiden cringes a little. "Mom told me all the stories. And I'm so glad that I didn't inherit this obscene magnetic attraction to bricks from Dad."

Nico and Dad are still yelling at each other, Nico's hands gesturing wildly. "She doesn't need to have a type! She's twelve! Why are you so obsessed with this!?"

I sigh and shake my head, stuffing the rest of the food into my mouth, swallowing it, then gesturing towards the lake. "Anyone feel like getting out of here?"

"Give me a second." Eran turns to his plate, almost inhaling all of his food. "Okay, yeah, I'm done."

Ignoring the adults who are slowly dissolving into a chaotic mess of complaints and arguments, the five of us sneak out of the dining pavilion and away from the morning congregation of demigods.

* * *

The canoe lake is nice and peaceful, with no one around to disturb the pristine serenity of it. Well, until the five of us burst through the woods and arrive at the docks.

"What are we doing here?" Haley looks out over the water, then eyes the canoes distastefully. "Because I'm not a fan of the canoes."

I grin eagerly at the water. "Well, the canoes aren't quite what I had in mind, but if anyone wants to get in one, feel free. Just don't blame me if I accidentally capsize you."

"Uh…I think I'll just dip my toes in the water…" Haley really looks like she doesn't want to come swimming. But it's her loss.

With absolutely no hesitation, I strip down to the shorts and tank top that I'd put on under my shirt and jeans. "Swimming time!"

I hop into the water with no hesitation, but the boys don't seem quite so eager to get all wet. Caiden frowns at me slightly. "Um…I didn't bring a bathing suit with me, so…"

I roll my eyes and hold up one of my hands as I wade deeper into the water. "I can dry anything I touch instantly, that includes people and clothes."

"Really?" Eran gets a huge grin on his face. "In that case…" He reaches into the thin tool belt around his hips, pulling out a few small colored balls. "Let's use these!"

He tosses them towards the water, and the balls expand, springing to life in the form of four inner tubes. "No way…" I stare at them incredulously. "Okay, that's awesome."

"Right? I got Dad to teach me how to make them!" Eran start stripping off his tool belt and some of his clothes. "They're self-inflating, and they can withstand anything short of a celestial bronze weapon! They won't pop!"

As Eran races to join me in the water, and Silena joins her sister to sit on the dock, Caiden and Sam strip off their shoes and socks before wading into the water in their t-shirts and shorts.

The three of them swim over to me as I grab a dark green inner tube. "We've totally got to do this again…"

"No joke, right!?" Eran floats up inside his inner tube, his hair already soaked. "All we need now is some waves, and we can jump them no problem!"

Hearing that, Sam grins at me eagerly, pushing one of the inner tubes at Caiden, while he slides the other over his head, pulling it snugly around himself. "Can you make waves?"

I stare at him, a little insulted. "Can I make waves? Really?" I plash a bunch of water at him, then close my eyes as he starts to sputter. The tugging in my gut starts getting stronger, kind of like I forgot to eat breakfast, which I definitely didn't. A few seconds later, the water starts to swell and recede, growing bigger and smaller, stronger and stronger, until we have some fairly sizable waves. Big enough to be thrilling and fun, but not so big that we're at risk of drowning.

Caiden and Eran throw their hands uo into the air, whooping and yelling. Sam jumps a wave, then smiles at me. "Never doubted you!"

I scoff lightly. "Right. Never doubted me." I shake my head and coax the waves just a little bit higher, tossing Sam over towards Caiden. "Just remember, these are my waves! Don't piss of the ghost in the wave machine!"

Sam pouts at me as the other two boys burst into laughter. This is the kind of thing I'd expected to do at a summer camp. Go out to the lake with some friends, swim around, and just goof off in the water for a while.

Today, I made a new friend. Because important things always come in three. Three brothers, three Fates, three Furies, three gorgons.

Today, I met three Graces.


	23. Back For an Encore

**Thanks to everyone who really likes my story, your reviews are what keep me excited and inspired to write.**

 **Yes, I knew about the Graces, the daughters of Zeus, that's why I thought it would be funny to have three children. A nice little play on one of the myths. But on the other hand, I didn't want them all to be girls, so I threw a boy in there just for some balance. After all, I don't want to make Eran the only male legacy of the Seven. Though fun fact, I've seen 'Kaiden' used as a girl's name, and it's pronounced the same way. Besides, Thalia is already a character in the story, and the first of Ciara's middle names is Thalia, so I didn't want to get too repetitive. Break the cycle just a little and all that.**

 **And yes, I thought it would be a good idea to bring back a couple of old jokes, just in passing. A little bit of "Do you know what they're talking about?" "Trust me, you don't wanna know…" stuff. You know, typical embarrassing parents.**

 **Now, I'm sorry, but it's time to get into something a little heavy. But they're demigods, this was going to happen sooner or later.**

* * *

It's been a week since the game of Capture the Flag. A week of hanging out with my new friends, learning to fight her still developing charmspeak to avoid Silena's random kiss attacks, and lots and lots of swimming. And because my team won the last game, I got to divide up the privileges of not having to do camp chores. And I took a week of no chores for myself, with one and a half to two weeks for the other cabins, depending on their size. Which is why I've had so much time to goof off.

Which leads to now, getting ready for the first actual camp job I've gotten since arriving here. I was hoping to avoid washing dishes, since the older campers have told me that it's done with a sink full of lava. And I get more than enough exposure to lava on the climbing wall. I am so done with lava.

And that is how I ended up here, prepping for a border patrol with Sam. And along with the two of us, Caiden Grace and Sam's sister Carmen are on patrol on the southern borders of the camp tonight. We're supposed to split up into teams of two.

As the other three go about putting on their patrol armor, Caiden looks over at me curiously. "Hey, why aren't you getting ready?"

A smile grows on my face as I figure out his question. "Because I've already got my armor ready to go." I hold up my wrist and show him the bracelet. "Magic armor. My uncle gave it to me just after I came to camp."

"Really?" His eyes go as wide as dinner plates. "That's so cool! Can I see!?"

"Sure…" I tap my bracelets together, covering myself in armor. "I guess he just wanted to make sure that I can have everything I need to protect myself on hand at all times."

Caiden finishes putting his armor on and walks over to start poking at mine. "This is so weird…it doesn't even look Greek. And it's not Celestial Bronze. What is it made of?"

He's right, my armor doesn't look Greek. The plates overlap in a way that almost reminds me of medieval armor, except that there's a lot less of it, it's not a full get-up. Bracers and shin guards, matching pieces for my upper arms and legs, shoulder pauldrons and a breastplate, with leather straps holding all of it together.

"Dunno, but it suits her, it fits, and it should provide enough protection without slowing her down." Sam pulls on the last strap of his own golden bronze armor. "That's what matters. Not how it looks or what it's made of. Besides, I think that a cyclops at the undersea forges might know what he's doing when outfitting his favorite niece."

I smile at Sam appreciatively, since I'm getting a little tired of people gawking at my choice in armor. I explained it enough before and after Capture the Flag. It's gotten more than boring. "Ready to go?"

Carmen eyes me warily. "Why are you so eager for your first patrol? You do know that you could die, right?"

Sam elbows his sister in the soft spot between the plates of her armor. "Hey! There's no need for you to scare her off patrols so quickly. Besides, everything's been quiet for weeks. What are the chances that something's going to happen tonight?"

Carmen rolls her eyes. "Knowing our luck, you might have just jinxed us. Nice going big brother."

"Psh, like that's going to happen." Caiden grabs Carmen's hand and tugs her away from me and Sam. "Come on, you and I have a border to find."

The two of them disappear into the trees, leaving me and Sam alone. He just laughs and shakes his head. "Sorry about that. My sister really likes drama. Whenever she's not practicing at the archery range, she's sitting under a tree writing poetry, a lot of sad doomed love kind of stuff. Ironic, seeing as the rest of our cabin is a bunch of happy bursts of sunshine."

"Lovely…" I don't think that her poetry is something I'd want to read. "Speaking of bursts of sunshine, does she get that talent from your dad?"

Sam snorts with laughter. "I sure hope not…for being the god of poetry, his rhyming sense isn't that great. Anyway…" He points over in the opposite direction that the other two disappeared to. "We're headed that way, to the southern border. You ready?"

"Yeah." I clench my fists tightly, eagerly. "I can't wait."

* * *

I had no idea that Sam's optimism really had jinxed us...

* * *

The southern border of the camp seems nice enough, it's the closest part of the camp to the road that winds up here from the city. And the huge pine tree, Thalia's Pine, watches over the hills that the two of us spend a couple of hours trekking over.

Our patrol is quiet, as Sam promised. Though that's just a little disappointing. I was rather hoping for something to show up and give us something to do. But from the sounds of demigod luck, hoping for something like that never ends well.

"Hey Sam…I'm bored."

He laughs quietly. "I know, sorry. Evening patrol isn't a whole lot of fun. It's slower, since we have to be careful about being thorough. Day patrol is much more fun. But maybe tomorrow, I can ask Chiron if I can show you around New Olympia. You haven't seen the city yet, have you?"

"Nope." I'd heard about the city a few times in the dining pavilion, and a few of my aunts and uncles in the Athena Cabin have bragged about how Mom was one of the chief architects, and they've gotten to help her.

Sam laughs and skips ahead a little. "Well, then tomorrow, You'll get the grand tour of the wonders of New Olympia. Well…what they've managed to build at least. It's been in construction for the last…what, ten years? So it's nowhere near done. Some of the older campers get jobs working on the construction during the summer, and the older demigods who live there can work on it all year round."

"And…it's safe?" Somehow, that many demigods congregated in one place doesn't sound safe to me. If it were, there would be no need for us to be on border patrol.

Sam nods. "Like camp, they've got some people working security. They handle border patrol there, mostly old Ares and Apollo campers. I'll show you what I mean tomorrow. Promise."

"Okay…" Sure, getting a tour of a demigod city sounds like fun, but there's one fact that a promise to show me around the city doesn't change. And I groan a little too loudly. "But it's still so boring out here…I thought that this was going to be fun…like Capture the Flag was."

"Yeah, well…welcome to the part of summer camp that gets to people the fastest. Boring border patrol where nothing happens because we haven't had any major problems in over a decade. Even New Olympia gets more action than we do." Sam twirls his bow around absentmindedly. "The only time I saw anything on my patrols was almost a month ago, when a few empousai decided to try paying us a visit. Boy was that a good-" He quickly cuts himself off, and a shiver goes up my spine.

Something feels wrong. There's a chill in the air that I can't quite place. But whatever it is, I know for a fact that it's nothing good. I've been told by the satyrs that a lot of demigods are like that, getting chills whenever something bad is about to happen. It's definitely something I could do without. On the other hand, this might just end up being the action I was hoping for.

"Sam…" I glance over at my golden-haired partner, before looking back into the trees.

"Yeah, there's something wrong here." He readies his bow, nocking an arrow in it in preparation for a battle. "Keep your guard up, you might just be getting some of that entertainment you've been craving. It might be nothing, but there's no reason to be lazy."

I can definitely agree with that, and my hand travels up to the hilt of the swords on my back, fingers curling around the cold metal. "Does this usually happen on patrols?"

"Nope…" Sam squints through the trees, looking for the source of the bad feeling. "There's definitely something out there, but it's not moving. It's like it's…"

"Waiting for us?" Somehow, this reminds me a little of some of those horror movies my classmates made me watch. We're in a standstill, a stalemate. And it'll only be broken when one party decides to approach the other. "Right…that's not creepy at all. So, what do we do? Go out there and kill it, or sit here and wait it out?"

Sam grimaces, obviously not pleased with the choice before us. "We're not supposed to go out that far. But if that thing doesn't leave soon, we're not going to have a choice. We need to get back to our patrol. There are too few of us on patrol tonight to be leaving the borders alone."

The chill in the air only gets stronger. "So, you think it's just one monster, or more than that?"

"Probably just one…" But Sam still sounds nervous. "That's not accounting for how strong it is, though. If it's just an empousa or a dracaena, then we should be able to take care of it no problem. And I'm pretty sure it's not a drakon, since it would be tearing down trees and flailing around if it were. So it's either small or smart."

"Okay…" I look around, trying to find the closes source of water. Unfortunately, our patrol has taken us further inland, and the closest source of water is over a mile away. "Well, if we fight that thing, we're doing it without my powers. There's no water anywhere close to here."

"I know." Sam grits his teeth and narrows his eyes at the trees. "Come on. We can't go and leave it there, sitting outside our camp. If a demigod and their protector come up the hill, they'll fall right into its trap. And that's exactly what we're here to prevent."

Without a second more of hesitation, Sam squints into the trees, then looses an arrow. It whizzes through the air, disappearing into the trees and sending a flock of birds flying around in a panicked flurry of flapping wings.

"Hey Sam, exactly how good is that aim of yours?"

He nocks another arrow, aiming carefully. "I'm not the healer that my big brother is, but I'm one of the best archers the Apollo Cabin's got. If you want to go down there, I won't hit you unless you deliberately get yourself hit."

I grin and pull out my swords. "That's what I was hoping to hear."

I waste no time in sliding down the hill, breaking into a run as I reach the bottom. Alright, so all I need to do right now is get eyes on that thing and draw it out so that Sam can get a good look at it. Then he can either shoot it, or tell me where to stab the thing.

That's easier said than done, though, as I sneak into the trees, hoping that it hasn't already spotted me. Now…if I were a big scary monster, where would I be hiding…?

"Jackson…" A raspy voice crawls over my skin, freezing my feet to the spot. And worst of all, its accent mangles the first letter of my last name.

A shiver races up my spine as I spin around, trying to find the source of the voice. "Who are you?"

A shadow emerges from the trees, towering over me. And I don't even know how to describe it. That is, until it shoots a flurry of spikes at me. And drawing on past experience, I figure that spikes are bad.

I duck and dodge as many of the spikes as I can, some of them bouncing off my armor. _Note to self, tell Tyson that the armor is awesome._

One of the spikes grazes my cheek, but only lightly, so I don't pay it much attention. "How do you know who I am?"

"Ciara!"

I turn towards the sound of Sam's voice, and see him running down the hill. "Sam! Be careful! It's over here!"

Sam skids to a stop, nocking another arrow and aiming it behind me. He releases it and it whizzes past my face just as a spike buries itself in my leg, right between my plates of armor.

"Damn it…" I yank out the spike and turn towards the monster that shot it at me. "Come on, I'm not afraid of you."

"Not afraid…well, you should be." More spikes come hurtling out of the darkness, passing by me entire and aimed straight at Sam.

"Sam! Get down!" Keeping our locations secret no longer matters. We've both been found out, now we just have to get in a position to win.

Hearing my voice, he ducks down and rolls across the ground, sliding into a half kneeling position, his bow drawn. He looses another arrow, sending it zooming past my scratched cheek.

But the arrow seems to have no effect on the monster, and it comes crawling out of the shadows, revealing what must have shot the spikes. A gigantic scorpions tail, attached to a lion's body, with the face of a rather unpleasant looking man. One eye brown, the other blue.

Sam sucks in his breath behind me. "Di immortales, that's the manticore! But I thought that he wasn't supposed to reform again so soon!"

"Manticore?" I flip through myths in my brain, looking for anything called a manticore. But I'm coming up empty. "What is it, and what is it doing here?"

"I don't know, but it's too strong for my arrows!" Sam returns an arrow to his quiver, along with his bow. "We need help!"

My cheek burns, and my leg starts throbbing as well. _Poison? Probably…that's a scorpion tail, after all. Okay, so if Celestial Bronze arrows can't get into that thing, then either I need to stab it to death, or we really will need help._

Now, I'm kind of disappointed that our patrol groups aren't bigger. This isn't exactly the fight I had in mind.

The manticore approaches me slowly, an evil smirk on its face. "I have waited years for this. I will have my revenge."

 _Revenge?_ Whatever it is that this manticore wants, obviously it's not good. So I glance at Sam and nod towards the camp. "Go for help, I'll cover you."

"But-" He hesitates, obviously not wanting to leave me behind.

"Go!" I swing my swords around, splitting them and balancing them in my hands. "And be fast about it!" It's better that Sam be the one to go for help. I know that I've had less training than him, but I've seen him fight with a sword, and honestly he should stick to a bow.

Without another second of hesitation, Sam bolts, headed straight back towards the camp. The manticore, displeased with one of his prey getting away, shoots spikes over my head, aimed straight at Sam.

There's a single cry of pain, but as I turn my head, I see him pull a spike out of his shoulder and keep running. _Good…get back to camp fast, they'll be able to treat you there. And send help…_

I face the manticore, swords raised. "So, why are you here? What is it that you want?" It seems a little silly to be asking questions when it's almost all I can do to stand. My leg is burning like I had a bad run on the climbing wall. And my face isn't doing much better, my left eye closed and scrunched up in pain as my cheek burns.

Stretching out his almost golden limbs, the manticore smiles evilly at me. "Your father was a thorn in my side, and ruined any chance of being acknowledged. Therefore, I will drive a thorn into his heart, by taking that which he holds most dear."

My blood suddenly runs cold. I have no idea what Dad could have done to piss this guy off so much, and frankly, I don't think I want to know. That said, I can't just stand here and do nothing. I have to stall as long as I can and keep him talking. That way, Sam might be able to get back here with reinforcements in time. "How did you know who I am?"

He turns his nose up at me slightly. "The smell of the sea in your blood. We have been waiting for years, making every attempt to find you. Your mortal scent is gone. Now, your scent is as strong as your father's."

Before I can ask him what that actually smells like, his tail snaps forwards towards my arm. I catch is with one of my swords, but instead of cleaving though the tail, the two just bounce off each other. That's a pretty durable tail if it's capable of withstanding a strike from a weapon forged by a cyclops.

His tail shoots forward again, this time accompanied by a swipe of his paw. I dodge the tail in a split second, making a note to thank Nico later for all of that dodging training, and slash at the paw, trying to draw blood. But this manticore has some pretty tough skin. I barely even leave a scratch. _How tough is this thing!?_

But because of all my moving around, I let out a hiss of pain as my heart pounds furiously, pumping the debilitating poison all throughout my body. Stars dance in my eyes, disorienting me so much that it's nearly impossible to see the next strike of his tail coming.

Pain pierces my right arm at the elbow, forcing the sword from my hand. My other sword drops as I tug the spike out of my flesh, drawing far more blood than I'm comfortable with. But my moment of distraction leaves me wipe open to the manticore. And I desperately hope that my armor can withstand his next strike.

Instead of raking me with his claws like I expect him to, he scoops me up, curling his tail around me. "Now, child of the sea, I will have my revenge and kill you slowly. And for the rest of time, half-bloods will tremble in fear at the very sound of my name!"

His tail squeezes me, making it almost impossible to breathe. Coupled with the pain from the poison, it is not long before I succumb to the darkness.

 _Sorry Sam...looks like we won't be going on that tour tomorrow..._

 _Please…someone help…_


	24. Kidnapped

**Two chapters in one day, I can't believe how fast that went. Though to be fair, I had it half written out, and knew exactly where I wanted to go for the most part.**

 **So…Ciara got kidnapped during her first border patrol. What terrible luck. And no Percy to save the day. Sorry (not sorry).**

 **I'm going to be doing a P.O.V. switch now. I wanted to get a good story base started before starting to switch between characters. Let's welcome Sam, Nico and Percy to the narration. A little Solangelo, a little Percabeth, and lots of little tears.**

* * *

Sam's P.O.V.

I turn away from the scene of the battle and run as fast as I can, despite the pain burning my shoulder. I'm a pretty good sprinter, but I don't know if I'll make it in time, especially after being injured by the manticore. I can't afford to think like that, though. _If I can't get help, Ciara might just…_

 _No! Stop thinking like that! She'll be fine…she's stronger than that. She's stronger than anyone thinks she is! She's going to be fine!_

But even I know that's a lie. A manticore attack was about the last thing I expected. Things have been pretty quiet at camp for years. Occasionally, there might be a dracaena or empousai that manages to sneak close to the camp, but never anything as powerful as a manticore. And they've never gotten so close before.

Stumbling a few times, I weave through the trees, taking shortcuts whenever I can. I've been here at Camp for a few years, I've patrolled these woods before. And I often make trips out here to hang out with the dryads. Which means that I know the trees like the back of my hand.

Finally, the lights of the Big House come into view, and all of my muscles burn as I sprint the last two hundred meters, nearly collapsing on the front steps. And of course it just had to happen right in front of three counselors and our head instructor. _How embarrassing…_

Will, Nico, and Percy stare at me in alarm, Will snapping out of it first. "Sam, what happened? Why are you so out of breath? Aren't you supposed to be on patrol at the southern border with Ciara tonight? You were talking about it all through breakfast."

I finally manage to get some air into my lungs as I point towards the southern border, coughing the air back up desperately. "Manticore. Ciara. Southern border. Help…"

The three of them jump up from their chairs immediately, and Chiron shifts anxiously, glancing at Percy. "Go. I will not keep you here."

Usually, his face is bright and full of laughter, but now, Percy's face grows dark and clouded as he turns to Nico. "Take me there, now."

Nico nods, putting his hand on Percy's shoulder before turning to my brother. "Stay here and look after your brother, we'll be back in a minute."

As Will nods, the two men dissolve into shadows and disappear into the darkness. Will tugs on my arm and pulls up my sleeve. "You've been hit by a manticore spike, haven't you?"

I glance down at my arm, which is bleeding steadily and throbbing painfully, the skin around the cut a violent shade of red and swelling up. "Yeah…I forgot that their spikes are poisonous…"

Will hums a little, his hands glowing with a soft golden light. "Luckily, manticore venom isn't lethal, it just hurts like Hades. And purging your system of it won't work since you ran here. It's definitely gotten through your bloodstream."

I wince as he presses on the tender skin, getting out his supplies in order to tend to my wound. But the dull, throbbing pain throughout my body is nothing to me right now. I'm terrified that Nico and Percy might not have gotten there in time.

 _If only I'd gotten here faster…if only I was stronger…_

Applying a salve to the wound and binding it up tightly, Will nods his approval. "Alright, now go to bed. Take a sleeping draught and sleep off the effects of the poison. I'll wait here for them to bring Ciara back."

I nod slowly, my mind going a little fuzzy. And the last thing I remember is flopping onto my bed, with itchy, salty tracks on my face, and falling asleep instantly.

* * *

Nico's P.O.V.

Percy and I fade out of the shadows, appearing at the camp's southern border. We've landed right in the spot where I felt the most twisted monster energy. Problem is, there's no one here. The only things here are a few destroyed trees, and the detritus of a battle, manticore spikes littering the ground.

Percy walks forward, bends over, and pulls a manticore spike out of the dirt, grimacing. "…The last time I saw one of these was when we were attacked by Dr. Thorn."

I glance around the area, and it's littered with the poisonous spikes. "I remember him…" The problem is, only the spikes and the aftermath of a battle are here. "She's not here…" And that admission makes me sick to my stomach. "We were too late."

Percy throws the spike back to the ground, crushing it under his foot, which is not a feat easily accomplished. "What the hell happened!? Where is she!?"

"I think…" It's a difficult notion to consider, but it's the only one that makes sense. And I hate myself for suggesting it to her father of all things, let alone one of my best friends and cousin. "It was probably Thorn…he must have taken her." That's the only reason I can think of for not finding her body at least.

"But why!?" Percy spins around, a glare directed at me, tinged with fear, pain, and desperation. "Why would he take her!? She hasn't done anything! I'm the one he hates!"

It's true, Ciara never did anything to warrant this. But that's not the point. Things are never that simple for us. "I would guess that that's exactly the point. He took her to get to you. What better way to make the person you hate the most suffer, than to take away what they love most…? And for you, there's nothing you love more than Ciara and Annabeth. He just went for the easier target."

"He's…doing this to get back at me…?" Percy looks like he's just heard the news of yet anther coming apocalypse. He clenches his fists, biting his lip hard. "Maybe…it was a bad idea to have a kid… After what Rachel said when Ciara was born… Annabeth and I thought that maybe one kid was plenty. That she would get into enough normal trouble to be all that we could handle. But I always hoped that Ciara wouldn't get caught up in our mess. Not like this…" Small treas streak down his cheeks, glowing silver in the moonlight. "I can't believe she's gone…"

I sigh, silently distraught that the little girl I've grown so attached to has been snatched out right from under our noses, with Percy's monster killing history and reputation to blame. He's got more enemies than most of us, so we really should have been prepared for this. "We'll get her back, Percy. We'll get her back…" We weren't prepared for this.

The fear and sadness are still there in his eyes, but some of it is replaced with grim determination. It's a look I haven't seen in his eyes for seventeen years. "We need to tell Chiron. And then, I'm going to find my daughter."

* * *

After returning to camp and going through a very uncomfortable recounting of everything we found at the site of the incident, the two of us wait for Chiron's reaction.

"I see…" Chiron's expression becomes sad, the same forlorn, lonely expression he has whenever we have another camper go missing, or worse. "I suppose that we should have expected this. Perhaps it was too soon to put her on patrol. I thought that she had enough training to at least put up a fight. She's a talented girl, but…even the greatest talents don't make up for a lack of experience."

I slowly unclench my teeth. "From the looks of it, she did put up a fight. Experience or not experience, she managed something at least. I doubt that Sam would have been able to get away unless Ciara were stalling Thorn. But fighting Thorn would be hard enough for most demigods, let alone a single twelve year old with less than a month of training."

Percy stays quiet, his rage seeping out of him, his angry glare marred only by the tear tracks staining his cheeks. If it were me exuding that much negative energy, half of the valley's plants would be dead right now. And that wouldn't be very good for the strawberry fields.

Chiron sighs. "Are there any clues as to where it would have taken her?"

"None…at least, not at the site." I glance at Percy, hoping that this won't upset him too much more. "But the fact that he took her means that theres at least a chance that she's still alive. And the faster we move, the higher the chance of getting her back."

"Getting her back alive, you mean…" Percy clenches his fists, his anger starting to get the better of him. "If Thorn…if he thinks he can just take her away from me like that, then I'll make sure to send him straight to the bottom of Tartarus."

I nod silently. For this, I would very much like to escort Thorn to the Underworld personally, before putting him through my own version of hell. No Fields of Punishment for him. And of course, I have to tell Will. He's probably waiting in the infirmary for us, expecting us to show up with Ciara. I have to let him know that he's not getting another patient tonight.

I walk into the quiet infirmary. After that particularly heated game of Capture the Flag, there are still a few demigods here and there who need a little more time in the infirmary before being discharged. But they're all asleep now, which will make this news easier to break. Because Will is just as attached to Ciara as I am.

Over in one corner, at a desk next to a bed, is Will, tapping a pen against a sheet of paper. He looks pretty alert, while at the same time looking distracted. It's endearing most days. But not today, not when I can't sit and appreciate it.

I move towards him, which catches his attention quickly. "Ah, Nico, you're back." He frowns slightly at me. "Where is she?"

I shake my head. "She's gone. It was Thorn, that manticore from when we were kids. He was here to take her."

Will drops his pen, letting it hit the desk with a clatter. "He took her…? But why?"

"Revenge. At least that's what I think. It's what makes the most sense." I bite my lip, hard. "Percy is a wreck, he can't seem to decide between being angry and being sad. I haven't seen him cry in years…but…"

Will gets up from his chair, steps towards me, and takes my hands in his. "You know, normally I would say something like 'Don't worry Angel, everything is going to be alright' but I'm not." His eyes shine at me with the same determination as when he confined me to the infirmary for three days when we were fourteen. "Because right now, we need the Ghost King more than we need my Angel." He squeezes my hands tightly. "Alright, Death Boy?"

It's strange how he can make me feel like I'm a kid again. That time when I was summoning ghosts left and right, making armies of skeletons crawl out of the ground. But he's right, thats what we need right now.

"Yeah…" I squeeze his hands back, my plan formed. "Don't wait up for me, Sunshine. I've got some people to meet."

Will smiles his bright and gentle smile. "That's my Death Boy."

I let go of his hands and make my way back out of the infirmary. _I hope the dead like Chinese food…_

* * *

Percy's P.O.V.

This is my worst nightmare come to life. And I've been through Tartarus. I thought that after everything we went through, that we would have a few years of peace at least. But I should have known when Rachel spouted those prophecies, that Ciara's life wouldn't be so simple. It's not my generation dealing with the world's problems anymore, it's hers.

I knock softly on the door of the Athena Cabin. Annabeth isn't leaving for a couple more days, so she's probably packing right now.

As expected, my dear, sweet Wise Girl opens the door, yawning. "Percy? It's late…what are you doing here?"

I take her hand and pull her out of her cabin. "Come on, let's talk in my cabin. I wouldn't want to wake your siblings."

"Percy?" Her eyes search my face, widening. "What happened?"

I shake my head and motion to my cabin. "Come on, I'll tell you there." If she finds out here, she might cry or scream. Either way, it won't be quiet.

Without another word, she follows along to Cabin Three. And I make sure to close the door behind us as she sits down on my bed, bypassing the couches completely. "Alright, now tell me what's going on."

Sitting beside her, I try to figure out how to start without breaking down or bursting into tears. "There was an attack on the border of the camp tonight. A camper was taken."

"Taken?" I can see it in her eyes that she's running through every scenario that would result in a camper being taken instead of injured or killed. "Which border? What camper?"

"The southern border…" I glance over at Ciara's empty bed. "It was Thorn, the manticore. He took her while she was on patrol with Sam."

"No…" Annabeth covers her mouth, her gray eyes glistening with a film of tears. "No, not my baby… No…"

I slip my arms around her, giving her the chance to cry. "I'm going to the beach in a little while. I want to put the nereids and fish on full alert, and the hippocampi need to know to notify me if they hear anything. Then I'm going to contact a few of the gods. Maybe one of them will know where she's been taken."

She sniffs a little and wipes her tears. "I'll go see Apollo. Maybe he'll know what's happened. But why…?"

"Revenge." I try not to squish her in my arms, but I don't know if I'm successful. "Thorn must still hate me for what happened before the first war. So he took her to hurt me."

Annabeth's hands clench on my shirt. "Then I'll stay. I won't go to Chicago."

"No." I'd like for Annabeth to stay here, but she's been working too hard on her work. "No, you go to Chicago. Go do your architect stuff, and maybe you can pay a visit to Aeolus while you're there. We can cover more ground if you go on your trip."

Thankfully, that suggestion returns a little light to her stormy eyes. "Alright…but if you find out anything, anything at all, call me. I'll have my cell on at all times since I'll probably be around mortals a lot."

"Good plan…" I kiss her forehead and brush my hand through her hair. "I have to go…I need to meet with some fish who are overly fond of gossip."

"Okay…" She sniffs one more time before getting to her feet. "Then I'll finish packing. I'll leave in the morning, and call you when I get to Chicago. I'll try and get an audience with Aeolus before my meetings start."

I watch as her curly blond hair disappears through the door, then draw in on myself.

 _Who do I talk to first…?_

* * *

 **Next time, the rest of the camp finds out.**

 **You probably know what that means...**


	25. Quest for the Sea

**Ah...these encouraging reviews make me so happy.**

 **Okay, so I've been wanting to do this P.O.V. for a while, and this has got to be the perfect place to do it. The legacies find out what happened, and Kai gets to do something stupid. Sam gets dragged along for the ride, rather willingly. And then Will stops the car and demands to ride shotgun. An analogy, but an apt one I would think.**

 **Boys...what can you do...?**

 **Oh, and for Kai, when he starts getting mad, just imagine that his native British accent starts bleeding in a little. Something like a habit when he swears and doesn't control his speech, because usually he would control it so he doesn't give away his accent and start getting asked uncomfortable questions. I also just thought that it might make for a funny quirk, kind of like if Nico were to randomly slip into Italian and start confusing the heck out of everyone. Language quirks are the best precisely because they're so random and confusing.**

 **Except Frenglish/Franglais. That's just annoying, and riddled with bad grammar. (This is coming from someone who speaks English as first language and French as a fluent second.)**

* * *

Kai's P.O.V.

I am most definitely not a morning person. I'm not sure if it's the Hades thing, Nico's influence, or just me, but I can't stand getting up early. My brother has to literally drag me out of bed to get me to go to breakfast. And that's if he actually wakes up on time. If he doesn't, then that sunny son of Apollo comes barging in, waking up both of us, and risking a horde of skeletons chasing him across the continent. Sometimes Nico and I will joke about whose skeletons would be the ones to catch Will and string him up.

How Nico deals with that husband of his is beyond me. I could never date someone so sunny.

Today, though, I sleep in until eleven, when I finally have the energy to look at my clock and check the time. _That late already…? Where's Nico? He never lets me sleep in this late._ Of course, that doesn't really matter much since I basically set my own schedule. Perks of being the one year-rounder in a cabin of two.

I sit up and look around the cabin. And even in the darkness, I can clearly see that my brother is not here. There's no noise coming from the bathroom, and there's no sounds apart from my own breathing and heartbeat. _Weird…did he go to breakfast without me?_

But looking at his bed, it looks like it hasn't been slept in. _He didn't come back last night? But he always tells me if he's going to leave camp. He hasn't said anything. Did he sneak off to the Apollo Cabin?_

Since the mystery isn't going to solve itself, I get out of bed, shower, change and head to the dining pavilion for lunch. Nothing seems out of the ordinary.

Not at first…

I grab myself a plate and head towards where there are usually three tables pushed together. I've gotten used to sitting with a large crowd during the summer, no matter how weird it makes me feel. Today, though, they've been left as is, and the legacies are all sitting at the Poseidon table, with one person noticeably absent, apart from all of the adults.

I walk up, sit behind Sam and tap him on the head, determined to get to the bottom of this. "What's going on?" Food quickly appears on my plate, a large serving of Nico's favorite fettuccine recipe. Something he got me hooked on when he dragged me to Italy on vacation with Will. I blame him for my love of pasta.

Sam nearly jumps out of his seat, turning around to look at me with an usually fearful look in his eyes. "Kai…" He gulps nervously. "Ah…you weren't at breakfast…"

"I wasn't. So tell me why everyone seems tense and jumpy." I noticed a slightly strained atmosphere when I walked in, but I assumed that a couple of cabins were mad at each other, like usual. But now that I look around, the tension does seem to be different than usual. "Something's going on, isn't it?"

Sam's face falls, and he looks at his plate. "There was…a problem with last night's patrol."

A problem? That's what you're going with?" Will shakes his head and stabs his food rather vehemently, but like he's trying not to. "Sam and Ciara's patrol on the southern border last night went south. So Percy and the others are all running around trying to find out what happened."

My eyes flick over the table as I register is explanation. "So Ciara's in the infirmary?"

"Nope…" Will glares at Sam pointedly. "A manticore attacked last night. She and Sam were the only ones patrolling that border. They weren't expecting a fight like that. Things got dicey, and she held off the manticore while Sam came running back for help. But when Percy and Nico got there, she was gone, just like some old horror story. She's been kidnapped. So Chiron declared a camp-wide lockdown until she's found or determined to be dead."

Eran nods grimly. "Our parents are all running around trying to find something to go on, anything, but there's been no luck so far, not even from the Oracle. Annabeth has gone to Chicago for work, and plans to ask for an audience with Aeolus while she's there. And Percy has been running around talking to the pegasi, the fish, and as many of the gods as he can convince to pick up his calls. They're going out of their minds looking for her."

Caiden shoves his plate away, glaring at it like its offended him. "That's what happens when a child of The Seven goes missing. Percy's saved the world enough times that this incident only proves how many enemies he's made."

The other legacies all go very still and quiet, until Eran speaks. "Our parents all made a lot of enemies…last night, it was Ciara, but it could have been any one of us. Caiden and I might have lasted a little longer, but…" He shakes his head. "That's because we produce our own powers, she needs water. She can't fight properly without water nearby."

"Yeah…" Caiden grabs for the sandwich on his plate, biting into it viciously, swallowing a piece. "If it weren't for that, she'd be the strongest one here."

The twins' faces are covered in dried tears, their eyes red from crying. Eran looks like he's going to set himself on fire with those flames dancing in his dark curls, Caiden is throwing off bright blue sparks, and Sam looks like he killed someone. Will, well, he's just keeping calm and cool, not letting any emotions get the better of him. And it's that callousness that really pisses me off about him.

I look down at my plate, still half full of food. It suddenly doesn't look quite so appetizing. But, if I'm going to do something stupid, it's probably better to do it on a full stomach. I start shoveling the food down as quickly as I can without being messy and looking like a total idiot.

Five minutes and a few incredulous stares later, my plate is clear and I get up from my seat. "Good food. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to see Chiron to ask him if he'll authorize a rescue mission, or if I'll have to Shadow Travel out of camp to do it."

"What!?" Sam's voice rings out across the pavilion as I walk away. "Wait, I'm coming with you!"

I glance at him as he runs up to me, following me like a puppy. "You sure? Chiron is gonna have my head if I leave on my own. Yours too if you come with me and he doesn't authorize the mission." Because no matter what Chiron says, I'm not backing down from this.

Sam nods quickly, a little too eager considering the situation. "It's my fault she's gone. I've got to at least help get her back."

I sigh and scratch at an annoying itch behind my ear. It's not actually Sam's fault that she's gone. Not many campers below the age of sixteen could take on the manticore alone, and Ciara was fighting with a handicap while he ran for help. If it had been the other way around, and she had been the one running for help, Sam would be dead, and we would be preparing a funeral instead of a rescue mission.

"No, it's not. She probably told you to run for help, and you just did what she said, right?" I look to him and he nods slowly. That's all the answer I need. "Better for us to be trying for a rescue mission than weaving a golden shroud for the pyre."

Sam sucks his breath in, then shakes his head. "Okay, then let's go to Chiron and hope that he doesn't shut us down." He shifts slightly as we walk out of the pavilion. "I'd rather not see his face angry if we get back."

"Not if, when." _When we get back._

* * *

Sam's P.O.V.

Chiron is looking at a map spread out on the table of the rec room in the Big House when we walk in, his brow furrowed. And Kai wastes no time in approaching him. "Chiron, we need to talk."

He pulls his eyes away from the map and regards us carefully. "About? As you can see, there is something of a crisis going on." He says it as though he thinks that we don't know and don't need to know much about it. However on both counts, he would be wrong.

"I'm aware…" Kai drawls a little dryly. "I want a rescue mission authorized." _Well, he sure doesn't beat around the bush._

Chiron's brow furrows even more. "Your seniors are already being deployed at Percy's request. Have faith in them, your friend will be brought back soon."

Seems like soon isn't a good enough answer for the son of Hades. "I'm not going to sit here twiddling my thumbs and waiting for a miracle. I don't care if you can't be arsed about it, but I'm no twat who sits around doing shit. If you won't authorize a rescue by the end of the day, I leave tonight."

My jaw drops. I've never heard Kai get so vocal, or so crude. Not only that, but I swear that he's got a freaking accent. _He's foreign!?_ It's something I never considered, but considering that his older brother is Italian, maybe Hades just has it in for European ladies. But I'm pretty sure his mom was part Japanese, because of the dark hair, the curve of his eyes, and the slightly more delicate set of his face. But I always thought that he was American. Especially with the attitude he gives off.

And worse, he's offered Chiron an ultimatum.

Never offer an immortal an ultimatum.

Our trainer watches Kai, searching his face in that way he always does when he wants to know how serious they are. "If Rachel gives you a prophecy, you may go with my blessing. However, if she does assign you a quest allowing you to take two companions, I urge you not to choose any of the legacy children."

At first, that restriction seems a little strange to me, since the legacy children are among some of the most powerful half-bloods here. But Kai seems to catch on quickly. "Because they're in the most danger?"

Chiron nods. "Ciara was the first to be targeted, likely because together, Percy and Annabeth have more enemies than the others. But that does not mean that Jason and Piper, Leo and Calypso, or Hazel and Frank do not have their own share. Hazel and Frank's children are safe in New Rome for now, but the others are only safe here. If you go, know that it will not be an easy task to accomplish. There are many who would do harm to Percy if they could, but they are settling for his daughter instead. Do not put the others in needless danger."

"Course not…" Kai's face relaxes a little, but still retains his grim determination. "I've already got one person eager to go on a rescue mission." He glances at me, smiling a little, which is a pretty rare sight. "He may not be the best healer, but he'll do well enough."

That little vote of confidence does wonders for my normally rather low self-esteem. Flirting with Eran is one thing, we have fun doing that. But actually having confidence in my abilities and skills, that's a whole other problem. "Thanks, Kai…"

Chiron's gaze flicks to me, and he nods. "Then ask Rachel a question, and if you're meant to rescue your friend, then she will tell you."

"Good." Kai turns to the stairs, which lead up to our artsy Oracle's studio. I follow along behind him, not wanting to miss this.

I'd heard stories about a time when the Oracle's power wasn't working, but it had somehow been resolved before any of us were born. Problem is, I haven't been able to get any of the adults to explain how it happened. All they've told me is that it involved the second war, and the reason why my dad was grounded with having to watch over the camp instead of Dionysus, the god of wine.

The room that we walk into is hardly something that you would expect of an all-seeing spirit. But then again, according to the older campers, Rachel has always been an artsy type, painting and drawing her visions into life.

Paintings hang on every wall, and sketches lie scattered around the room, a true artist's heaven. Dad being the god of music and poetry gives me a pretty good appreciation for the fine arts. So I can tell how much effort went into all of these pieces.

A warm voice surrounds us as we walk further into the room. "Hello you two…"

I spin around, only to come face to face with a beautiful woman with curly red hair, one that I most certainly recognize. "Ah, Miss Rachel." The Oracle's new host.

She smiles at us and spreads her arms wide. "So, what brings a son of Apollo and a son of Hades to my haven?"

Kai crosses his arms, a sour look creeping its way onto his face. "You probably already know the answer to that question."

Rachel's smile fades a little as she nods. "Ciara Jackson is missing, and you want to find her, correct?"

"Yes." Kai steps a little closer to Rachel. "Chiron said that he would give us his blessing to leave camp if we got a prophecy for a rescue mission from you."

"Not that it would stop you from going…" Rachel's smile seems all-knowing. Appropriate, considering that she's hosting a spirit that can tell the future.

And like the Fates themselves have ordained this chance, green mist starts to swirl around Rachel coming out of her nose and mouth, her whites of her eyes tinting with light green. "Approach, seeker, and ask."

Kai wastes no time in asking his question. "How do I find Ciara Jackson?" He must have thought pretty carefully about how to phrase it. He didn't as where she was, or if she was still alive, he went straight to the getting her back.

Rachel's eyes glow even brighter, her voice deepening and doubling. I'd heard of how she gives prophecies, but I've never been around to actually see one. And frankly, it's more than a little creepy.

 ** _Rivals venture underground,_**  
 ** _To find an army nearly drowned._**  
 ** _Enemies appear to join the race,_**  
 ** _For the sea lying in death's embrace._**  
 ** _The sun in the sky resolving strife,_**  
 ** _And child of darkness with the breath of life._**

The green light fades, leaving Rachel standing there with a grim smile. "Tell Chiron that your mission has been approved. But hurry, your friend is in danger."

"Right." Kai turns right back around and quickly walks out the door.

I stare at Rachel a moment longer, many questions trying to make their way to the surface. She smiles and glances at the door. "You should probably follow him. He's going to need you more than he knows."

I'm not sure if I should be flattered by her assertion, or worried about the fact that Kai is going to need me, a healer along for the ride. I'm not the greatest healer. Marksmanship, no problem. Healing…that's where I've still got a lot to learn.

She seems to sense my hesitation, and lightly ruffles my hair. "Believe in yourself, and others will start to believe in you too." With that, she goes right back to working on a half finished painting, clearly indicating that the conversation is over, and that I should head back downstairs.

I carefully make my way back downstairs to the rec room, where Kai is surely updating Chiron on the progress of the mission. Of course, I have no doubt that prophecy or not, Kai wouldn't just sit back and watch all of this chaos happen.

 _Though speaking of chaos…_

As soon as I reach the rec room, I see a somewhat familiar sight. Standing next to Chiron is Kai, and at the door of the rec room is Will, leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

 _Oh…shit. A fight in here is the last thing we need before going out on a rescue mission._

Will's eyes travel to me, his gaze serious. "Good, you're here. Now tell this numbskull that if the two of you are going on some half-cocked rescue mission, that I'm going with you."

I freeze, not entirely sure where this whole thing is going. "Wait…you want to come?"

Will nods. "I know that we don't get along very well, but if you two are mounting a rescue mission to find Ciara, then there's no way I'm going to sit on my hands. So you guys can either shut up and accept that I'm coming along, or you can sit there and watch while I convince you that it's in your best interest to include me."

Kai glares at him sourly. "We don't need you, McGrant. You'll just get in the way. Or better yet, you'll scare her off as soon as we find her and send her running straight into a horde of monsters."

Just as Will opens his mouth to argue, I cut him off. "Kai, it might be a good idea to bring him." The first line of the prophecy rings in my head. "Rivals venture underground. Rivals, Kai. And last I checked, I sure don't see you that way. I'm not rivals with anyone, at least not seriously. You, on the other hand…" I glance at Will. "Well, you two would fit the bill perfectly. And we do need a third person..."

The two of them continue to glare at each other. But just as I'm about to start yelling at them to put their heads back on straight, Chiron coughs loudly. "I do believe that Sam is right. The three of you would make for an excellent rescue team. And seeing as the three of you have sparred together, you are more familiar with each other's styles. Unless you think differently…"

Judging by Chiron's tone, I have a feeling that he's not giving the two of them much of a choice but to work together. Usually, he doesn't insist so strongly, but it must be because of who the target of the mission is.

But since the two of them don't seem to want to stop glaring at each other, I clap my hands twice, and rather loudly. "Alright, now that that's settled, I'm going to my cabin to pack. What do you say we meet back here in an hour? That should give me enough time to round up some medical supplies and a few other things we can take with us."

Kai scoffs irritably, but doesn't say a word. Will nods slightly, but his gaze remains fixed on the other boy. Already, I can tell that this mission is going to be a hard one. Not that I have anything to compare it to, I've never been on a quest before.

Then Chiron smiles and chuckles a little. "And Kai...about earlier, you may wish to rein in your temper. Your British flair shows in your choice of language when you get angry."

Kai flushes a deep scarlet, and immediately refuses to make eye contact with anyone. _British, huh...? That explains the accent and the weird swearing. Guess Hades must really have a thing for European ladies._

On the other side of the room, Will continues to watch with a careful eye. It's almost impossible to tell what that guy is thinking, and it sets me on edge a little. But, he's still a great fighter, and I would rather have him watching my back than not. Although I'm sure that Kai doesn't feel the same way.

I sigh and shake my head. _Looks like the fun is getting started already…_


	26. Meeting the Grandparents (Part One)

**Oh good, I tried not to give too much away in a prophecy, while still making it rhyme. It's actually a lot harder than you might think to make a prophecy that makes sense, and doesn't make sense, while still rhyming it. I spent days trying to figure it out.**

 **On another note, I'm probably gonna spend like 10 chapters on this quest, mostly because of the P.O.V. switches, and because I want to screw with the boys a little.**

 **Let me know if there are any particular creatures that should be included, I've already thought up a few good ones. And suggestions for camper profiles are still open.**

 **A little present for all of you after my birthday (April 6th). I went to class, ate turtle cheesecake in front of my classmates, got sixteen hours of sleep, and played Skyrim for about 9 hours straight to recharge my creativity.**

* * *

Kai's P.O.V.

Why he had to insist on coming, I don't understand. He hates my guts, and the feeling is mutual. So why he wants to tag along on a rescue mission is beyond me. I just hope that he doesn't go and mess everything up.

"Kai!" I turn around to see Sam sprinting towards me from the Apollo Cabin. "Are you ready to go!?"

I hold up a backpack, shaking it. It's got some clothes at the bottom, some food, and a few essentials. There's also a little pack of goodies in there courtesy of the Hephaestus Cabin. I just hope that I won't have to use them.

Sam jogs the rest of the way up, skidding a little in the grass. "Where's Will? Shouldn't he be meeting us here?"

"I'm still hoping he decides not to come…" I really don't want him along on this mission.

"Waiting for me?" And just like that Will pops out of the Big House, a slight smile on his face. "I was just talking to Jason and Percy."

"And?" He'd better have something good for us, or I'm tossing him off this mission right now.

Will's slight smile fades away. "The two of them haven't found anything. Which is weird, because it seems like she's disappeared off the face of the Earth. I tried asking Percy if he knew anything about an almost drowned underground army, but he said that as far as he knows, there's no myths that come even close to that. That means that it's probably not a specific location. Bottom line is…no one seems to know anything, and we might we dealing with a rather literal prophecy. We might actually have to stumble across a nearly drowned army." Will grimaces a little. "Unless you want me to ask Ares, but somehow, I doubt he'll help."

Asking the god of war is definitely not my first choice. One the other hand, if it's an army, there's one other war deity that might offer up some information. "Maybe we should try Athena instead. She probably wants her granddaughter found, so she'll be more willing to tell us if she knows something."

Sam's eyes start sparkling. "That means we're going to Olympus, right? I've never been to Olympus before since Dad is here at camp. No need to go up there when I can just visit him every day."

The thought of going to Olympus makes me sick to my stomach. I hate planes, I hate excessive heights, and I really don't feel like going up into Zeus' domain with the target of being a son of Hades on my back. Unfortunately, there's not much of a choice. "Empire State Building, it is…"

Will nods towards the highway. "Then let's go, Argus is waiting for us." Then he smirks. "Don't worry, Dad won't blast you if I'm around."

 _That's reassuring…_

But before we leave the cabins area, one of those legacy kids comes running up, her face half bruised, and her lip split. And even stranger, she's got a big grin on her face.

She skids to a stop in front of us, looking very excited. "You're going to rescue Ciara, right!?"

"Yeah…but what happened to you, Silena? Your face is all bruised." Sam looks down at her, frowning at the red mark that is slowly turning purple. "Did you get into a fight?"

She pouts, looking very stubborn. "My aunties were being mean! They said that no one should bother going to look for her! So I got mad and punched them! Just like Daddy taught me!"

Sam smiles wryly. "I see…well, did you at least win?"

She smiles and holds up her hand, making a victory sign with her fingers. "I kicked their butts! Then I told them that if they were ever mean to Ciara again, I would make them burn all of their clothes!"

The daughters of Aphrodite love their huge closets. And even I know how great a threat it is for a legacy gifted with charmspeak to suggest making them burn their coveted wardrobes. Though it would definitely serve them right for what they had their boyfriends pull. Not that they'll ever have the chance to do it gain if I have anything to say about it.

Sam clicks his tongue and pulls a little jar out of his bag, rubbing ointment onto Silena's cheek. "Alright, just try not to get into any more fights. You wouldn't want to ruin your pretty face, right?"

"Okay…" Even with a bruise on her face, this little kid looks as cute as a legacy of Aphrodite should. Though personally, I've never liked the Aphrodite girls, they're all obsessed with their clothes and hair, and they annoy the crap out of me with their giggling. Piper isn't too bad, but even she gets on my nerves sometimes, she's too nosy.

 _Why are girls so nosy…?_

I tap my foot impatiently as Sam repacks his bag. "Are you done now? Because we have to get going."

"Right." Sam zips up his bag and slings it over his shoulder. "Then let's get out of here. Time's a' wasting and we have a goddess of wisdom to visit."

Sam jogs ahead, heading down the hill, followed by Will. I, unlike the two of them, am a little apprehensive about where we're going. There's a reason that I've never visited during camp trips. And I hardly think that Zeus will be pleased when I show up out of the blue, even if I'm not there to bother him.

 _He never did like me…_

* * *

The Empire State Building looks nice in the afternoon sun, I guess. It's still way taller than any building has the right to be. And I'm not all that fond of the idea of going to the top. But chances are, Athena is up there somewhere.

"Well, come on, no point in standing around down here." Will walks right inside, like he's been here a million times. Of course, his father is Zeus, so I wouldn't be surprised if he's been here before.

The lobby is pretty big, and I get a good look at it as we walk up to the security desk near the elevators. But as soon as we get close, the guy at the desk gives us a quick look and sits up straight. "You three from Camp Half-Blood to see Lady Athena?"

Sam looks at the man incredulously. "How did you know?"

He pulls out a key card and hands it to me. "Orders to give this to the three boys coming from camp to rescue her Ladyship's granddaughter."

I turn the card over, wincing. "Alright, Athena is expecting us."

Will snatches the card out of my hand. "Follow me, I'll get us up there."

I hate how snide and cocky he sounds, but I follow him, since I have no idea how to get up to Olympus. But when we get to the elevator, little skeletal puppies start running around in my stomach, ramming into the walls like there's no tomorrow. "We're getting in an elevator…?"

"Yeah, is that a problem?" Will looks back at me as he passes through the open doors. "Only way to get to the six hundredth floor is using the elevator."

Sam seems a lot more excited than I am. "I've always wanted to ride the magic elevator!"

"Yeah…" I'm still pretty sure that I'm going to be sick as I step into the elevator. "Let's just go…" _And pray that I don't hurl the whole way up…_

"Alright then." The elevator doors close and Will puts the key card into a slot, lighting up the symbol of a Greek Omega. "Hold on, this is going to be a fast ride!"

The elevator starts moving, and I immediately grab on to one of the hand rails. I'm pretty sure that my stomach decided to stay back on the ground floor, but the rest of my body doesn't seem to have realized that.

Stuck in a fast moving metal deathtrap. I was hoping I would only have to do that once in my life. And I hope that it doesn't turn out the same way as last time. I close my eyes and see nothing but a familiar darkness.

 ** _Deafening screeching._**

 ** _An impact, pain, warm liquid running down my face._**

 ** _Blood. Smoke. Sirens. More pain. So much pain._**

"Kai!"

At the sound of Sam's voice, I take a deep breath and open my eyes. The elevator has stopped and the doors are open. Sam and Will look at me strangely, so I shake my head and step out of the elevator.

Sam nudges my arm. "Kai, what happened? You seriously looked like you were going to throw up."

"Forget it, I'm fine." I'm most certainly not fine, but they don't need to know that. "Let's just go. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to." And I don't feel like dwelling on unpleasant thought either.

The scenery of Mount Olympus is impressive, to be sure. It kind of reminds me of my father's palace down in the Underworld. Except that everything down there is black. Not that I have a problem with black, of course, I wear a lot of it, paired with the occasional blue and green. Ironic, seeing as they're the colors of two gods that should basically hate me for existing. And here we are, poking around their house.

"You have come."

I whip around, looking for the source of the voice, only to find a tall woman with grey eyes and black hair. She could almost be my mother, except that my mother was shorter and had tanned skin. At least, from what I remember of her.

"Lady Athena." Will bows to her respectfully.

Sam bows as well, as well, but I can't bring myself to. Her eyes are on me, and I feel rather frozen. There's a distinct hint of disapproval on her face. "The three of you wish to rescue my granddaughter, correct?"

"Yes." I try to sound as polite as possible, despite the frustrated feeling I have that we're wasting time. "We were hoping that you, in all of your wisdom, might be able to provide some information, any information, that might help us to find Ciara."

Athena's eyes narrow a little. "I have been watching your camp since she was taken and disappeared from my sight. Upon hearing the prophecy that is meant to help the three of you rescue her, I felt that a warning was in order."

A warning? My blood runs cold at the tone of her voice. But it's Sam who speaks up to voice his concerns. "We were hoping for advice, not a warning. Is she really in that much danger?"

The goddess nods solemnly. "In their time as reckless young demigods, my daughter Annabeth, and Perseus Jackson made many enemies, both godly and monstrous. In fact, I would say that over half of our world wants the two of them dead. No doubt there will be some who will try to prevent you from reaching her. They would be most content if her life were to end prematurely."

I'm getting seriously frustrated with the lack of a straight answer. But then again, I'm not the only one. It seems the sparky headed idiot is losing some patience as well. Not that he would let it make him any less polite to his immortal older sister. "Lady Athena, two of the lines give us a location. 'Rival venture underground, find the army nearly drowned.' Do you have any idea what this drowned army is? Or where it is?"

"No." Her lips are pursed, and I could swear that she looks frustrated. "Drowning is not part of my domain. If it is wisdom or strategy, or craft that you seek, these are things I can provide. Information on a drowned army, however…" She shakes her head. "My wisdom to you is to find my uncle. If it is important enough to mention in a prophecy, then it may have something to do with him. And I'm certain that he will be most amenable to helping the three of you."

"Great…so we have to go find Poseidon, huh?" This is the last thing I need. Zeus' temper is bad enough since he's almost always in a bad mood. He's got me watching the sky all the time. But I really don't want to go see Poseidon on the off chance that he's having one of those mood swings that the sea is famous for. And with his granddaughter kidnapped, the chances of him being in a bad mood are hardly chances anymore, it's pretty much a guarantee.

Sam looks a little disappointed, but there's still a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Alright, so that means that we jut have to go find Poseidon, and he should be able to tell us something, right?"

Athena nods. "But you must hurry. There are many reasons for the enemies of Olympus to want Ciara Jackson dead."

"Then we'll be going, Lady Athena." Will bows respectfully to the goddess of wisdom. "Unless there's anything else."

"The two of you may go." Athena turns to me. "You, I have a few words for."

I glance at the two of them, but Sam shrugs. "Hey, who are we to argue with the wisdom goddess? Just catch up once you're done here." He turns right around and heads for the steps. "Hey Will, let's look at the architecture on the way back to the elevator!" I can faintly hear Will laugh. But his mood is not what's important right now.

As Will and Sam start heading back to the elevator, Athena looks at me sternly, causing dread to pool in my stomach. "I disapproved of Jackson dating my daughter, even more so when they decided to marry. I have, however, accepted it, as it makes my daughter happy. Now, I even have a granddaughter that I am rather fond of. That said, if you do anything that makes my granddaughter unhappy…you do not wish to know what I will have done to you."

Now, I'm officially confused. "Um…I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but I'm not dating your granddaughter." _And I don't really want to either, since she's a total pain in the ass half the time. I'm on this mission because I owe her. She saved my life, now it's time to return the favor._

Athena's expression doesn't change at all, it's almost scary how she stays so expressionless, and so scary at the same time. "In that case, I should warn you. By the end of this quest, you may have to do something you will very much regret, child of darkness. Heed that warning well…"

And just like that, she vanishes in a poof of golden mist. I stand there, a little dazed. Did she just hint at the prophecy? I shiver at the thought, because if that last line refers to what I think it does, then not only is this quest going to end very uncomfortably, but we're also running out of time.

It's an ability I've only tried to use once. And I was too late, I failed. It's not something easy to use, and I don't even know if I can try it a second time.

"Hey Kai! Come on!" Sam waves at me from down the hill. "It's time to go!"

I gulp a little and raise my hand. "Yeah! I'm coming!" But as I jog down the hill, that line keeps repeating itself over and over in my head.

 _And child of darkness with the breath of life._


	27. Pegasi to the Rescue

**Sorry for being gone for so long, I had a busy summer, and now I'm back at school. My laptop is currently out for repairs, so I'm spending most of my time in the library on campus. You know, whenever my classes aren't in session, or I feel the need to drop dead and get some sleep.**

 **Fortunately, being here means that I have as much internet as I want, access to computers 24/7, and no one to tell me when I can and can't be up, writing. The downside is homework, though it's not really a downside, considering how interesting most of it is. Gotta love my history and archaeology classes.**

 **Alright, so the P.O.V. is going to hop around in this chapter, mostly because I want to express the different thoughts that the boys are having from each of their perspectives. This chapter is a bit shorter than I would like it, but the next few are going to start getting a lot longer.**

 **And...it looks like I've got several reviews to answer.**

 **1) If this prophecy has you confused, don't worry, it's supposed to do that. If you haven't noticed, most of the prophecies in the series were confusing.**

 **2) "Is Kai going to have to kiss Ciara to bring her back to life?" Well...we'll just have to see about that, now won't we...I'm not planning on killing her off this soon.**

 **3) CPR, huh? That's an interesting way of interpreting that line. But...if it were as simple as CPR, then they have Sam for that, don't they?**

 **Alright, now get ready for a little bit of teenage angst.**

* * *

Sam's P.O.V.

Okay, so we've met a scary goddess who seems to know everything, though I suppose that it would be weird if the goddess of wisdom didn't seem to know everything. And somehow, describing her as cryptic is probably an understatement. If this is what Ciara's dad had to go through every time a prophecy came around, then I can see why so many of the demigods at camp have been trying to avoid quests. And here I thought that the older ones were just getting lazy.

I guess we're just a bunch of idiots instead. We must be absolutely out of our minds to have wanted to leave camp to go on a quest. Forget brave, I'm starting to think this is just plain stupid. Then again, it's not as though we've had much of a choice. I know that I, for one, can't just leave Ciara at the mercy of that manticore. Especially not when it's my fault she's gone. So, stupid or not, I'm going to see this through to the end.

"So...how do we find Poseidon? Because if he were here on Olympus, he probably would have found us by now." I glance at the other two, hoping that they'll have more of a clue as to how to do that than I do. Because I really do believe that if Poseidon were within a mile of us, he would have found us before Athena did. After all, the stories about Percy would indicate that Poseidon is more fond of visiting his children, than of following the rules.

Kai shifts uncomfortably, staying silent, and Will's eyes narrow. "Well, he's the god of the sea, so I assume that he'll be around the water." He swallows nervously, which is rather unlike him. He's usually quite confident, but I suppose that a quest to save someone's life could put any confidence on hold. "Or...under it. That might prove to be a bit of a problem."

The implication hits me, and I shiver a little. "Yeah...a little bit. I can't breathe underwater, and I doubt either of you two can, so let's focus on near the water." We'd better hope that Poseidon isn't hard to find, otherwise our quest might just be screwed.

"Well...there's always Montauk." Kai crosses his arms stubbornly, the bridge of his nose wrinkling a little. "Nico's told me most of the stories about Percy when he was our age, and Montauk came up a few times as a place where he would meet with Poseidon. Something about it being a favorite fishing spot of his. It's where his parents met."

Well, I think that's the most Kai's said to anyone other than his brother and Ciara. I suppose that just goes to show how bad the situation is, if it can coax Kai into talking when he would rather remain silent. My eyes drift to Will. Of course, I've got a budding theory on why he's usually so quiet, if the interactions between these two are anything to go on.

"So...I guess that means that we're going back to Long Island?" _Great...we should have had Argus drop us off there instead of bringing us straight here._

"Looks like." Will looks to the sky, then frowns. "What's that?"

I look up, squinting at the dark shapes in the sky as they grow larger and larger. "I...have no i-" Then, my eyes widen. "Scratch that, I know exactly what those are!"

"What?" Kai glances at me, his gray eyes flashing dangerously. "Friend or foe?"

"Friends, definitely friends." I hold my left hand up, bringing the fingers of my right to my mouth. I blow hard through my lips, letting off a high pitched whistle into the air.

The three shapes change course slightly, now heading straight for us. One of them is as black as night, another is a dappled gray, and the third is a rich roan. Each has four long, knobbly legs, long bodies, and a pair of wing jutting from just behind their shoulders.

Pegasi.

With a sudden burst of speed, the three pegasi make a beeline for us, touching down about a hundred meters from us, and slowing from a full on gallop to a gentle trot. And there is no mistaking it, they're headed straight for the three of us. _Percy..._ The roan trots up to me, eagerly nuzzling my shoulder. _He must have sent them for us, so we wouldn't have to walk everywhere._ It makes sense, since he would want his daughter brought back even more than us.

On the roan's neck is what looks almost like a collar, but made for the thick neck of a pegasus, instead of a dog. "Your name is...Brutus?" It sounds to me like a name that one of the Roman demigods would have given him. He nudges my arm against, whinnying softly. That tells me that I'm probably right.

The gray pegasus bumps its nose against Will's hand enthusiastically. The son of Zeus blinks, then glances at the collar. "This one's name is Pria...odd name, but a nice one."

But the last of the pegasi, the black one, is more than content to lightly headbutt Kai in the back. And it bears a striking resemblance to...

"Blackjack...stop that." Kai grumbles irritably, confirming the pegasus' identity.

"Blackjack?" Will narrows his eyes. "Why would Percy send his own pegasus here?"

I laugh softly. "He probably didn't...if Blackjack is here, then this was probably his idea. Percy might not even have had anything to do with this." I wouldn't put it past Blackjack to pull something like this. That old pegasus has always been very loyal to Percy, so it makes sense that he would be protective of Ciara too. And with how mischievous Blackjack can be, it wouldn't surprise me if he decided to stage a mutiny and bring a couple other pegasi with him. And even if Percy did send them, then Blackjack was probably all too happy to accept the request.

Of course, if Ciara were here, we would be able to ask her to translate.

Brutus bumps his nose into my shoulder, an obvious sign for me to hurry up and climb on. "Okay, okay." He's already saddled, which means that someone at least knows that he's missing. I grab hold of the saddle, press my left foot into the stirrup, and swing my other leg over his back. Luckily, my cabin does a lot of archery training from the backs of pegasi, so I'm a fairly well trained horseback rider.

As I look back, while Will seems to be having no particular difficulties, the same cannot be said for Kai. He looks positively nauseous as he climbs gingerly onto Blackjack's back. "I hate flying..." Blackjack whinnies and bucks a little, nearly upending Kai. "Stop it! I'm sorry, alright!?" He looks downright panicked. Of course, I can't blame him, I've heard that children of Hades don't do very well with being up in the sky. Something about that ancient rivalry between Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.

I shrug lightly as Brutus shifts. "Don't worry, Zeus probably won't shoot you out of the sky." Kai glares at me, refusing to open his mouth, since it looks like he's going to puke. Then, I glance at Will. "But, on the off chance that he does, you get to be the hero and rescue Kai."

"Yeah..." Will glances back at Kai nervously, like he considers it an actual possibility that Kai could get blasted out of the sky. And it's funny, because I've never seen him that concerned over Kai before. I thought that the two hated each other on principle. Or maybe it only counts as long as there's no chance of either of them actually dying. "Let's just go. The faster we get to Montauk, the better."

"Right, we've got a legacy to save." I turn Brutus towards the edge of the floating mountain, back in the direction of Long Island. "Okay, Brutus, Montauk, please." The nice thing about pegasi is that they're smart enough to know where we want to go, as long as it isn't on the other side of the world. Though, to be fair, unless you're a university geography major, there's a limit to how many places you know how to get to before you need a map.

* * *

Kai's P.O.V.

I hate flying. I hate flying. I hate flying.

Have I mentioned that I HATE flying? Whoever invented the idea of flying should be thrown into Tartarus and never let back out.

Going up the elevator to Olympus was bad enough, but there's so much that can go wrong up here, and the others don't seem to care that we could get blasted out of the sky for this. Pegasi exist halfway between the domains of Poseidon and Zeus, and I doubt that either of them like me very much. That alone is probably enough to get us knocked out of the sky. Not to mention all the other powers out there that hate demi-gods, or specifically one of our fathers. We're way too exposed up here.

Then again, as the flying horses carry us through the air, I have to admit that there's something almost...liberating about being up here in the air. Though that doesn't mean I like it up here. I like it much better when my feet are planted safely on the ground. Unfortunately, since we have no time to waste, we don't have much of a choice in the matter. And by we, I mean me.

The city zooms by below us, but thankfully, we're not drawing any attention from the mortals. It actually makes me wonder exactly what they're seeing if they look up at us. I know plenty about the Mist, and what it does to cloak our world from the mortals. I just don't leave camp often enough to really wonder about what it does in each little situation. Like, if I were to draw my sword in front of them, would they see a gun? Maybe a baseball bat? An iron pipe? Of course, they might always see a crowbar or something, but I would expect it to be a little more dramatic. And would they even notice it until it was drawn?

There are so many questions to answer to sate my curiosity, not that I let anyone else know that. They're distracting thoughts, which I would normally hate with a passion since I'm not fond of petty distractions. But right now, they're helping to ward away very dark thoughts, most of which are full of blood and death. Every second counts right now, and with every second that passes, I become more and more paranoid that the next sensation of death that I feel will be hers. And I can imagine a plethora of gruesome and painful ways for someone to die.

I shake my head and look straight ahead, willing my determination to overcome my fear. _No, I won't feel it, because she's not going to die. We're not going to let that happen. And there's no way that she's going to just lie down and die._

 _Just keep fighting until we get there._

* * *

Will's P.O.V.

I love it up here. I'm still trying to learn how to fly properly on my own, and sometimes I'll jump off of Zeus' Fist to practice gliding, but there's something about being up thousands of feet in the air on a pegasus that just sends lightning through my body.

And while my brain can understand why Death Breath is so scared of being up here, my heart sure doesn't. It loves the adrenaline rush that comes from flying. It's hard to imagine never being up here. I know very well it's where I belong. I was born to fly through the clear blue sky.

Still, it's rather amusing to see the suppressed look of terror on Kai's face. Less so when there's an actual chance that someone could end up dead. No matter what my own issues with him are, it's not like I want the idiot to fall out of the sky. That's just cruel. And I certainly don't want my own father to do it. He's already given people plenty of reasons not to like him, providing more is just redundant.

But more importantly than how I feel about being up in the sky, it's a good thing that the three of us are up here. It shouldn't take us long to get to Montauk this way. And the faster we get there, the better. Every second we waste, is another second that bring Ciara closer to whatever fate is waiting for her. And generally, for a demigod, that fate is unpleasant, painful, and ultimately results in death. Sam might be rather naively optimistic, but Hades' son is far from it. If the shifting waves of darkness in his eyes are any indication, then he knows full well the kind of horrors that she might soon go through. Or might even be going through right now. Though he certainly looks determined to prevent whatever nightmares his brain is cooking up.

For now, we have to find her grandfather, the god of the sea. If anyone is going to know about a drowned army, it'll probably be him.

* * *

 **The use of the name Death Breath is intentional. It is both a throwback, and a use of irony. You will soon see why.**


	28. Run For Your Life

**Glad to see that people still like this story. I'll do my best to update more frequently. I'm also hoping to get my laptop back soon. I got an email back about it being fixed, so it should be delivered to my dorm soon (assuming that they actually fixed what was wrong with it).**

 **Now, it's time to check back in with our little kidnapped demigod. Let's see what mischief she's up to. I hope none of you expected her to go quietly.**

 **And I wonder if anyone will be able to guess where she ended up being dragged to.**

* * *

Ciara's P.O.V.

My breathing quickens as my feet hit the ground. I sprint across the cold, dark, barren field like my life depends on it. Because it does. Because if the horde chasing me has anything to say about it, I won't be making it out of this place alive. And I don't even know what this place is.

I woke up not long ago, my limp form being carried on the back of the monster who kidnapped me. And having decided that my chances of dying were probably higher if I stuck around, I decided to roll off the monster's back and make a run for it. Now, while it might be said that it wasn't the brightest idea I could have come up with, it was the only one I had. I guess being impulsive is just part of being a demigod. At least now I know where I get it from.

Besides, don't parents caution their kids about going off with strangers?

I can hear the dull thuds of the manticore's legs striking the ground, along with the thumping sounds of several other monster, likely working for, or with the manticore. _Damn...I don't know what Dad did to piss off this many monsters, but I think I should be proud. Unfortunately, that's not going to stop them from chasing me!_

With visibility pretty low, and my body aching from the manticore's poison, I'm going to need a miracle if I'm going to survive. Of course, considering what's happened since the start of the summer, a miracle doesn't actually seem all that unlikely. Unfortunately, I'm without my swords, and I doubt that any of the daggers I'm carrying will do much against that thing's hide, though I might be able to throw them at some of the other pursuers. But even if I had my bow and some arrows, I wouldn't have enough time to fire them all off before being overwhelmed. Because, from the sounds behind me, there are more monsters after me than the number of arrows in most quivers.

Hence, the running for my life.

"Oooh, so the little one thinks she can run?"

"Makes it more fun!"

The cackles behind me send shivers up and down my spine. On the other hand, they also inspire me to run even faster. I just have to hope that none of the ones pursuing me have wings, or if they do, aren't very good at flying. Otherwise, I'm a goner.

As I sprint across the dead grass, a mighty roar stops me in my tracks. _Then again...I might be a goner anyway._ I look up as a huge form appears in front of me. _Shit._ My mother would probably send me to my room if I'd said that out loud in front of her. Then again, she might have agreed with me.

I search my memories, looking for a name to put to the monstrous creature before me. It has the face of a lion, the body of a rather muscular goat, though it's hooves are nothing to sneeze at, and coming out of its back...

 _...is that a diamondback snake?_

The snake? Tail? Well, whatever it is, turns towards me, it's scaly face hissing at me, baring wickedly sharp fangs. _Yeah...that would be a diamondback snake. Which means...that thing is poisonous._

While I'd love to turn around and get rid of my pursuers first, there's no way I can risk turning my back on this thing in front of me. This...

 _Chimera, that's a Chimera! Holy Zeus, it's a freaking Chimera!_

Okay, so maybe I read more of those old mythology books than I'd admitted to my parents. I just didn't want them to think that I was obsessed with their obsession, or what I'd thought they were obsessed with, before I learned the truth. But I definitely read the book on monsters back to back. Though I suppose that the illustrations were done by normal people, because they look a lot less scary on the pages of a book.

My brain moves at hyper-speed, trying to bring forward all of the details about the Chimera. _Okay, so it's poisonous, that much is obvious. Sharp teeth, powerful hooves...and it can breath..._

Terror shoots through me as I look up at the Chimera, now roaring and rearing back. _It can breathe fire!_

There's no time for me to turn and run. The Chimera slams its hooves back down on the ground and roars right in my face, expelling an inferno from its mouth. I raise my arms up, trying to protect my face as the flames lick at everything around me. Unearthly screams and wails echo in the din, and I fully expect my voice to be among them.

But it's not. I can feel the heat, and yet, I'm in no pain. Then it hits me.

 _Right...powers of Poseidon...I'm fireproof._ Well, I'm not entirely sure how fireproof I am, since the lava wall still did burn me at one point, and I would rather not have to find out this far away from a medic. So I take the chance to don my armor and slide a couple of daggers from one of the belts. _Better do what I can about this thing while I have the chance._

There must be a lot of adrenaline coursing through my system, because I can barely feel any of the pain from the wound in my leg. That said, my knees nearly buckle as I grab hold of the Chimera's thigh and begin climbing. My best shot right now is to get away from the Chimera's mouth, avoiding the fire altogether, and deal with the snake head.

I haul myself onto its back, coming face to face with the giant head of the diamondback snake. _Okay...best thing to do would be to cut off its head. And keep away from those fangs. If it bites me, I'm dead._ Considering that I was dropped on my head into this world less than a month ago, you would think that I would be terrified at the thought of cutting the head off of a giant snake.

Let's just chalk it up to the adrenaline rush.

The snake head hisses at me, while its ten foot body waves back and forth. It would be almost hypnotic, if the hissing, spitting head wasn't ruining it. It's rather hard to be hypnotized when there are a pair of viciously sharp fangs dripping with deadly poison staring you in the face. Not to mention that the Chimera is leaping about, blowing fire all over the approaching horde.

My fingers grip my daggers tightly, though not too tightly. I have to remember all of Nico's lessons about wielding blades. _Next time I see him, I'm definitely going to ask him to teach me how to throw knives while moving. Because I doubt that I'm going to have a lot of passive, stationary targets. Maybe I can ask Sam too._

The snake head lunges at me with it's fanged bared, nearly knocking me off the Chimera's bouncing back. Luckily, I'm still balanced enough to dodge it and land, still on the Chimera's back, without causing my own body any more damage. The snake comes at me again, furiously trying to sink its teeth through my armor and into my skin.

I slide under the snake's head, slashing up with a dagger, and drawing a deep line through the snake's neck. Or, what I consider its neck, since it continues down smoothly into a body of an only slightly larger girth. Unfortunately, the dagger did not cut deep enough to behead the snake, only spill a great deal of blood. Some of the dark blood splashes onto my face, the hot liquid burning my skin like lemon juice dripped into a cut.

 _Dammit!_ I grimace and bite the inside of my cheek, holding in the screams that threaten to tear themselves from my throat. The snake head, incensed by my strike, gurgles angrily at me, lunging at me slowly. I duck down and let the snake graze the top of my head, before springing up and running my dagger through the flesh keeping the head attached to the rest of its body.

With a final hiss, the snake head goes still. So I grab hold of its body, driving my dagger through it and wrenching it across the goat's back and towards the lion's mane. And curiously, the Chimera whines. I swear to Poseidon that the Chimera whines like a puppy. I yank on the snake body once more, and another high pitched whine is ripped from the Chimera's dangerous mouth.

 _Okay...now this, I can use._ I've seen a lot of cartoons, where an animal's tail can be used by something smaller in order to steer it in a particular direction. It might not work, but right now, it's the best idea I've got. I yank on the tail, directing the Chimera to move right through the horde of monsters.

It works.

The Chimera takes off like a bullet, snarling and whining, probably from the pain in its tail. I might actually feel sorry for it, if it hadn't tried to barbecue, then eat me. I yank a little harder, and it picks up speed, bounding into the darkness, and blowing fire everywhere. The fire lights up the darkness, and as we move forwards, my surroundings become clearer. There's an entire landscape down here, looking rather desolate and plain.

That is, until I see pale figures, glowing in the darkness.

As we approach, the figures become clearer, revealing rather human-like forms. No, not human-like. They ARE human. As the Chimera charges through them, they begin to wail and scatter, some of them disappearing like misty images on a windy day. I'm not entirely sure where we're going, but since there's a bit more light ahead, I'm sure that it can't be a bad thing. Though it would be nice if I knew where the light was coming from.

The Chimera starts to slow down to a lumbering trot, so I look back to see the horde of monsters racing towards me, trying to catch up. I tug on the Chimera's tail, trying to get it to start moving again. Instead, it bucks hard, like a bull at a rodeo. Or at least, I think it bucks like a bull at a rodeo, Mom and Dad never did take me to one. Though, now that I've seen this half of the world, I think I understand why. Who knows what could have happened.

With a particularly violent bucking motion, the Chimera tears my dagger from its tail and sends me flying right over its head. I roll through some softer, slightly less dead grass, though it still look rather void of color to me. Luckily, one thing that I did get from all of that combat training, is the ability to recover quickly from being thrown off balance. I roll to my feet, twirling my dagger around in anticipation as I stare down the Chimera.

The adrenaline must be starting to wear off, because my limbs start shaking, and a powerful sensation of fear tears through me. _Okay...so I've gotten lucky so far. What now?_ And I'm drawing a blank, because I've only been at camp for a few weeks. I'm not an idiot, I know that if it weren't for the fact that Nico made me train till I dropped, I probably wouldn't have made it this far in the first place. If I had a bow with me, then I might have been able to put some of Sam's lessons to good use, or if I hadn't dropped my swords back at the camp border, I could put up a better fight. But with nothing on me but a small collection of daggers, fighting this many is going to end badly.

 _Wait..._

I close my eyes for just a moment, listening to everything around me. Among the sounds is the wailing of those pale humans, the whining growls of the Chimera, and the thundering footsteps of the monsters pursuing me. But faintly, among all of those sounds, I can hear one that makes the pounding of my heart join the cacophony around me.

 _Water. I hear water!_

I turn on heel and run away from the approaching horde, stumbling pathetically as I try to keep myself balanced. _Just keep running. Whatever you do, you have to make it to the water._ I run through the plan over and over in my head, and I know that as long as I can make it to the water, I might just have a fighting chance.

The sound of rushing water gets louder, which means that I'm getting closer to my destination. It's hard to breathe, but that's probably because I've been running too long and pushing myself too hard. Maybe I should have joined the track team as well, that would certainly have helped right about now.

 _If I get back to camp, I really need to get Nico to push me into stamina training._

I may be new to this world, but I think I'm pretty well disillusioned. It's obvious that if I screw up here, I'm going to die. And if that happens, I don't even know if anyone will find my body in this place. Whatever this place is, anyway. It would probably help if I knew where I was. After a few moments, I stop in my tracks, put my hands on my knees, and bend over, trying to catch my breath. But the thick, heavy feeling in the air makes that more than a little difficult.

The sound of water is louder here, which means that it has to be close by. And judging by the insistent tugging in my gut, I'm right. I stumble slightly as I turn to my left and take off running again. Luckily, I didn't twist my ankle, but each step I take is painful, and each breath I take barely supplies enough air to keep me going.

My breath hitches, and a familiar tingling feeling floods my body. _No, not now, I can't have an attack now!_ If I give in and have a panic attack now, that's all they'll need to catch up, and I'll be in no condition to fight them. I have to force down the feeling and stay focused. _Remember to keep your breathing steady. In and out, in and out, just like Will said._ I focus on the memory of my doctor's voice, using it to keep my breathing as steady as I can.

 _Now...if this were a movie or a book, this would probably be the moment where-_ And just like a book, my foot catches on something, and I face-plant onto the hard ground, though much less gracefully than in any movie. _Yeah...I trip on something, giving the enemy a chance to catch up to me. Perfect..._

Pressing my hands to the ground, I push myself onto my knees, then rub my nose and cheek, coming away with a bit of blood on my fingers. _Great...I'm bleeding. That'll probably lead them straight here._ I look up, towards the sound I've been following this whole time, and I feel most of the tension leave my body. _Water..._ Water can heal me, so I drag myself to the edge of the river and reach my hands down towards the water.

Then I freeze. _The water is...black?_

I gaze at the water, unable to see my own reflection. Instead, I see other faces, ones that I've never seen before. And the faint howls and wails coming from the water make my blood run cold. _What...what kind of water is this? What in Hades is wrong with this river?_

Hades. _Oh shit._

Pulling my hands away from the water, I shake a little. _Okay, looks like I won't be able to heal myself here. I'd be more likely to kill myself with that water._ I stand up, staring down at the murky, oily looking water. _But...if I don't want to touch it, then maybe..._ I hold one hand out over the water, the sounds of the approaching horde getting terrifyingly close.

"There's nowhere to run, little Jackson." The manticore's voice. "Give up now, and I'll make your death quick."

There's a violent tugging in my gut, and the water below my hand begins to churn. _Perfect._ I retract my hand and turn around, the tugging still very present, and my mind a little more focused. "I'm not going anywhere with you. You've taken me more than far enough."

The Chimera snarls, pawing at the ground in front of me. More figures emerge from the darkness, some with claws, others with wings. Demons and monsters of many shapes and sizes. I could probably name a few of them, after all, their pictures are in some of the books at camp, but my attention is currently occupied by the two biggest threats in front of me, both of whom are poisonous.

The manticore approaches me, one blue eyes, one black eye, and both glittering with hatred and anger. "You will not escape me, little Jackson."

"Who said I was going to escape you?" I know very well that I can't hold out forever. But now, with water at my back, I might just be able to get through this. At the very least, I might be able to take all of them down with me. "I'm planning to kill you." I'm twelve years old, and I never thought that I would say something like that.

Oh, how things change when you discover that you're a demigod.

I raise my hand into the air, my focus divided between two things. The first, is to keep the water from touching me, the other, to send it forwards. "You never should have let me find a river." I slash my right hand forwards, the water following the movement, and gushing out of the river and towards the manticore and Chimera.

The next few moments, which feel like an eternity, are full of pained wails, bursts of light, the smell of blood, sulfur, and strangely, of tar. It's a potent mixture that nearly makes me gag. Not to mention that the water is heavy, and it smells absolutely wretched when in motion. Kind of like when you ruffle up dirty laundry, and just make the whole pile smell ten times worse.

When the oily black tidal wave finally crashes to the ground, there's nothing left in front of me, but piles of ash and powder, mixing with the inky, oily black water of the river as it drains back down the slope and over the riverbank.

I breathe hard, dizziness starting to overwhelm me. _I have to get away from the river..._ Obviously, if I stay here too long, it won't be good. Now, I'm not entirely sure why, but I'll just have to trust my instincts on this one. So I take an unsteady step forward, then another, trying my hardest to regain some sense of balance.

About twenty steps in, my foot slips in a pile of soggy powder, and I stumble badly, hitting the ground on my hands and knees, before sliding further, and crumpling to the ground. Where the black water touches my skin, it feels like it's burning, even worse than the lava from the climbing wall.

Now that there's no one to see me, I allow a wail of pain to echo into the darkness as I roll over and over, trying to extricate myself from the burning water. I feel like throwing up, but instead of anything coming out, my stomach growls loudly.

 _Oh perfect...how long has it been since I last ate?_

The burning has subsided slightly, and I can't feel any more wetness on the ground. I must have rolled far enough to get away from the flood zone. Staggering to my feet, I stumble away from the river for a few seconds, before my legs give out again, and I crumple on the colorless grass. It's hard to breathe, and I can barely see. It's like the darkness is growing thicker, heavier.

And I'm not strong enough to resist it.


	29. Meeting the Grandparents (Part Two)

**So...just so all of you know, telling me to hurry with updates isn't really all that effective. What really gets me going is to hear some actual comments on what's going on in the story. I means, any reviews are good (unless they're flames, because I do bad things with flames), but more insightful ones are more inspiring. Just so you know (though I'm sure that I'm not the only writer who feels that way).**

 **But, it is nice to know that someone liked the cliffhanger. And I'm certainly glad that the story is so enjoyable.**

 **Alright, so remember to keep in mind that time moves differently in immortal places, versus areas in the mortal world. So while it doesn't feel like that long to Ciara, time is passing quickly in the mortal world, thus giving the boys proportionally more time to rescue her. So while she's running for her life, they've been running all over the state.**

 **Also, I did some geographical research for this chapter and the next, as I am Canadian, and do not have great knowledge of the marshes and wetlands that dot the state of New York (and for those like me who do not know the names of all the marshes in that state, the one I am using is in a park, it's called Ausable Marsh Wildlife Management Area, and it''s up in the norther part of New York State). Then again, I can probably name more of the states than most Americans can name our provinces (it's actually kind of sad how few people, even in Canada, know the geography of our country). I could also probably name most of the countries that make up the European Union.**

 **I guess you could say that I really like geography. And, of course, I've taken a few geography courses while here at university (as well as many history classes), so that might have something to do with it.**

* * *

Kai's P.O.V.

After hours of flying, we finally touch down on a sandy beach, looking out at a small sliver of the Atlantic Ocean. There are little cabins that dot the shore, pressed into the trees that line the beach. It makes sense that people would come here for a vacation, even if it's not my cup of tea. I slide off of Blackjack, and leave him to paw at the sand with his two friends.

I, for one, am glad to be back on solid ground. A couple hours of flying are hard on my stomach, not that I'd admit that out loud. I glance at Will, trying not to glare at him. I can just imagine the teasing that would ensue if he found out how delicate my stomach is. Blood, no problem. Getting more than thirty feet off the ground...that's another story.

"Alright...so, welcome to Montauk, I think." Sam looks around, probably searching for a hint of life on the beach. "You know, for almost the middle of July, you'd think that there would be more people here."

"Yeah..." Will narrows his eyes, scrutinizing the rather empty beach. "But...if he's here, then that should make it easy to find him."

Well, I suppose that's right, in theory. But when you're dealing with gods, most of the rules go out the window, and there's no way to even be certain by what rule book you're playing. Right now, our best bet it to find him by the water, probably fishing. "We need to find a place where the fish are biting." Percy always did say that his dad loves to fish, and that whenever they'd meet up, the old man was usually on a date with his favorite fishing rod.

"Okay...how do we do that?" Sam looks to me, as though expecting me to have the answer to my suggestion.

I roll my eyes irritably. "If I knew that, I would already be doing it." Activities involving water have never really been my thing, so I'm hardly the best person to ask for fishing advice. In fact, no one should take me fishing, ever. It would be a disaster in less than five minutes.

 _Maybe I should try to learn a few water sports..._

Will, on the other hand, silently walks towards the water. His hand passes through the air, as though stroking or stirring something. "Water currents turn the air, the bugs follow the breeze, and the fish should follow both the current and the bugs. So..." He glances around, evaluating the landscape. "We need to go that way." He points down towards the eastern end of the beach. "The best fishing will probably be in deep water." He motions for the two of us to follow him.

The three of us walk along the beach, avoiding soft sand, covered holes, and the occasional surprise, buried deep in the mud. I'm not too fond of sea critters, especially the ones that can hide, then pop out of nowhere. Messing with them is just asking for trouble.

It's a long beach, and it takes us a good ten minutes to get to the other end, what with the shifting sand and sticky mud slowing us down. But as we approach the other end, the sand starts turning into gravel, and large rocks start to dot the landscape.

Among those rocks is a large, black-haired man with Bermuda shorts, a loud Hawaiian flower print shirt, and a massive deep-sea fishing rod that looks like it could be used as a harpoon. I'm not exactly sure what he's trying to catch, but whatever it is, it's not going to be small.

The man seems to notice our approach, and turns towards us, sea green eyes shimmering like the water that's crashing against the shore. "Well, hello boys. What are you doing wandering around so close to dusk?"

I know those green eyes. They've stared at me before, though from a very different face. "Poseidon." I can see now where Percy gets his looks from. I can even see where those features were passed down an extra generation. This man looks every inch a Greek god.

The god of the sea nods, the smile lines around his eyes crinkling. "You have good eyes, nephew. Now, tell me what it is that you want to know. You're after my granddaughter, correct?" He certainly isn't wasting any time with small talk.

I nod quickly. "Do you know where she is?" I know all that crap about how gods aren't allowed to interfere with mortals, though from the sounds of it, Poseidon has been known to break those rules every now and then.

"I do not know..." Poseidon's face wrinkles into a frown. "She has disappeared from my sight, I can no longer see her. Someone, or something has been concealing her from me."

"I see..." I grit my teeth in frustration. That's not at all the answer we needed to hear.

Sam steps forward, looking around me shyly. "Um...well, how about a drowned army? Do you know anything about that?"

"A drowned army?" Poseidon's brow furrows. "I have drowned many armies in my time. Is there an army in particular that you're looking for?"

Ignoring the implications behind his statement about armies, I shake my head. "Rivals venture underground, to an army nearly drowned. Those are the first two lines that Rachel told us. We were hoping that you would know what they meant."

"A drowned army to be found underground?" Poseidon's eyes start twinkling. "It sounds to me as if you're looking for a location, something literal. And I know of only one place under the earth that would have dead armies."

Silence reigns for a moment, and then I smack my forehead. "Ugh, I'm an idiot."

"What else is new?" Will snickers as I turn to glare at him.

But my glare doesn't last long as dread pools into my stomach. "I hope you like the Underworld, because if we're going to find a dead and drowned army that even the god of the sea doesn't know about, then that's where we'll find it."

Will freezes, the smile falling from his face. "Oh...shit." It seems to be sinking in that it's the same thing with me being too high up in the sky. Him going to the Underworld is a recipe for disaster, as the son of Zeus. "So...how are we getting there?"

And there's the extra problem. The only times I've been to the Underworld is when Nico has shadow-traveled me there. I've never actually made the trip on my own. My ability to Shadow Travel is pretty limited. Traveling to an immortal area is something I've never tried on my own before. I blame my brother in law for that, he's always paranoid about the side-effects of that ability. Not to mention the difficulty of bringing two passengers along. The last thing I want to is bring these two on an accidental trip to China.

Luckily, I usually keep a small stash of drachma on hand, just in case I need to make a call. And there's no better place to make a call, than from a beach, right next to the god of the sea. The mist from the water makes plenty of little rainbows all over the place, and the most prominent ones are right here in front of us.

I fish a drachma from my pocket and toss it into the mist. _Iris, Goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering._ "Show me Nico di Angelo." When in doubt, call your big brother.

The mist shimmers, and the rainbow glows a little brighter. Then, my brother's face appears in the mist. "Kai? What's up? Where are you?"

"Montauk." I glance at Sam and Will, feeling rather uncomfortable about talking to Nico in front of them. "Do you know where the Door of Orpheus is?"

"You want an entrance to the Underworld?" His eyes widen slightly. "Why?"

I clench my fists and bite my lip. "Take a guess."

Like a flash, his eyes narrow. He knows what I want. "The door used to be in Central Park, but they were doing some construction there, making a new monument, and the entrance to the Underworld shifted. I tracked it to some marshes near the border, all the way down the river system from the city. Ausable."

"Thanks, Nico." I wave my hand through the mist and the message disappears. It seems simple enough, all we have to do is follow the rivers north to the marshes in one of the state's parks, and we should be able to get into the Underworld.

Poseidon waves his hand towards the bay. "Up the river, you will find a boat. Take it, and go with my blessing." His eyes drift to Will, his gaze hardening a little. "But you should be the most careful. I doubt that my brother will appreciate demigods running around his realm uninvited. However, if it means finding my granddaughter, I will send you on your way with my protection along the rivers."

"Thank you, Lord Poseidon." Sam bows slightly, his eyes sparkling in admiration.

I can certainly see why Poseidon gets one of the slightly better reputations among the campers. Like Apollo, he seems to be pretty attached to his kids. Compared to him, Athena seems pretty detached from all of this. It almost makes me wish that my father was more like Poseidon. Almost. Because I think it would be creepy for the Lord of the Underworld to be so attached.

"A word of warning, however." Poseidon's words stop me in my tracks. "The marshes attract all manner of creatures. Be careful."

I turn to ask him what he means, but a strong, salty breezes rushes past me, and all that's left of the god of the sea is a fishing rod stuck between a couple of rocks. _Well...so much for getting any more help from him..._ Of course, that's not really fair. He's been more help in five minutes, than anyone else has been since Ciara was snatched.

"Let's go." Will nods towards the trees. "The river should be a couple of kilometers that way."

 _A couple of kilometers, huh?_ "If we leave the pegasi here, I can get us there quickly. They should be able to find their way home on their own. If it's just a couple of kilometers, it's not a problem." After all, as long as the distance is less than five kilometers, I should be able to put us pretty close to our destination.

Will raises an eyebrow, then nods. "Fine. I suppose that you have a plan for getting us to the boat?"

"Yeah." Without waiting for them to agree, I grab each of them by the arm, and close my eyes tightly, focusing on the growing shadows beneath our feet.

Then, everything goes dark, cold, and it kind of feels like what I imagine the sensation of going into hyperspace, like in those old science fiction shows, feels like. If I wasn't used to the pressure, I would probably find it hard to breathe. Thankfully, I've practiced enough that it lessens the strain on me. I just hope that I haven't killed the two I brought with me.

A moment later, the three of us emerge from the shadow of a tree, right next to a riverbank. The two of them stumble, bringing me right down with them when they fall over. I groan and roll off the pile. "Ow..." _It's official, I hate traveling with passengers._

Sam rubs his head and shakes it vigorously. "Wow...that was..."

"Creepy as Hades?" Will groans and rolls over onto his back, breathing hard. "Let's not do that again."

"You dragged me into the air, then to the ocean, and now, we're getting on a boat." I shoot him a dark glare. "Quit complaining about me saving us time."

"Fine." He rocks a bit, pressing his hands to the dirt and springing to his feet. "Alright, then let's go and find ourselves that boat."

"No need." Sam points just up the river. "It looks like we're traveling in style."

I turn my head, and I spot a large sailing boat just upstream of us, docked, and ready for boarding. _Well...I guess that's convenient._ _And at least I got us within a hundred meters of it._ My accuracy must be getting better, since I'm not very familiar with this area. Shadow travelling around camp is one thing, I know that place like the back of my hand. Traveling around an area I've never been to before, that's a whole different story. I'd pat myself on the back, if it wasn't a stupid thing to do in the first place.

The walk to the boat isn't bad, but the sun is going down, so we'd better hurry, unless we want to end up falling into the water while trying to get on board. Sam takes the lead, seeming to have no issue with climbing onto something that could crash, or sink, or tip over, or...

"Come on, you two, what's the hold up!?" He looks down at us, leaning over the side of the boat to do so. "Are you two afraid of the water or something?"

I glance at Will, who looks right back at me. And it's like we're thinking exactly the same thing. _He just doesn't get the whole not being comfortable in our uncle's domain, no matter how friendly the old fisherman is._ It doesn't even have anything to do with whether our uncle is nice or not, I just don't fancy the idea of accidentally drowning. Just like I don't fancy the idea of 'accidentally' getting hit by a bolt of lightning.

But, time is being wasted, so I take a deep breath and hold on tightly to the handrail as I walk up the plan and onto the deck of the boat. It rocks a little, immediately throwing me slightly off balance. And I rather like being able to keep my balance, it's a key component of how I fight. On a boat, though, my balance is nowhere to be seen. As the old expression goes, I certainly don't have my sea-legs.

Will follows me onto the deck, looking just as wary, if not more so than me. _Right...Zeus and Poseidon tend to hate each other more than Hades bothers with either of them. He must be even more uncomfortable than I am._ The idea makes me feel a little smug, though it probably doesn't show on my face, considering that I'm more concerned with not falling over the side. and the boat isn't even moving yet.

Suddenly, the plan falls away from the side of the boat, and Will's face pales. "Uh...was that supposed to happen?"

The boat lurches suddenly, and the anchor gives way as well. "I don't know, but if this thing starts tipping, I'm gone."

Sam braves looking over the side, only for his excitement to grow. "Hey guys, it's fine! It's just the naiads!"

"The naiads?" They're the nymphs of rivers, lakes, creeks, and springs. "Oh." _They must be the ones who are going to guide the boat, then. Because the three of us sure can't do it._ Sailing lessons aren't something that most campers take up. And certainly not for a boat this size.

I groan as the boat lurches again, taking off down the river. "Okay, that's it, I'm going to sleep." It's getting late, I'm tired, and there's no way that I'll be able to spend this whole boat ride awake without getting sick and puking over the side.

"Agreed." Will looks a bit green as well. So it would seem that although we're going with Poseidon's blessing, he's not going to protect us from getting seasick.

 _Seasick...on a damn river. Yeah...I need to crash._

I stumble slightly as I make my way to the cabin, and I hold onto the interior railing as I nearly fall down the steps. Fortunately, the inside of the cabin is fairly roomy, and the bunk-beds are large and spaced out. I pick one on the left side of the cabin, crashing onto the bottom bunk without a caring about Will having an unobstructed view of me acting like a brat.

And it seems that he shares the uncaring attitude, because he crashes on one of the bunks on the other side of the room, leaving both of the upper bunks free to Sam to choose. I blink lethargically, my stomach still turning from the slight rocking of the boat. Then, my eyes close, and I drift off to sleep.


	30. Marshes of Mayhem

**Alright, so I'm glad that my writing style apparently sounds like the books, after all, I'm am certainly trying to write like that. Though it has more to do with Riordan being one of my favorite authors, and me looking at his style to come up with one of my own that I feel comfortable writing in. I do the same when looking at Christopher Paolini's books. That's where I get most of my world-building tips from.**

 **Also, swearing in this chapter. Mostly from an angry Kai, because he is most definitely not a morning person, given the choice. And...let's get a little more on Kai's background (as well as why he and Nico "get along" as well as they do). If you want to know what some of his swearwords mean, then just look up 49 British swears, they're hilarious. Kai has talents, ones that could get very embarrassing if used the wrong way, and in front of the wrong people.**

 **This is going to be a very long chapter. Warning for slightly frisky nymphs, because who doesn't like frisky nymphs? (These three).**

* * *

Sam's P.O.V.

I'm not entirely sure if it's because the two of them seem to be seasick, even though we're on a river, or if the two of them just aren't morning people, but I'm the first one out of bed after a long night. I had been planning to stay up all night to make sure the boat was going in the right direction, but the naiads promised that they would honor Poseidon's wishes and get us safely to the marshes by dawn. So, I decided to crash, just like the other two.

Now, it's dawn, and there's light coming in through the windows. Kai already seems to have reacted to the light by pulling a pillow over his head. I swear, he's like a mushroom, he absolutely hates the light. It's probably a son of Hades thing, I've heard that the Underworld is quite dark.

 _I wonder how that works for Nico and my big brother... Does Will wake Nico up every morning, and get a pillow thrown at his head or something?_ It should probably bother me that I'm thinking about what my big brother does with his husband when they get out of bed, but oddly, it doesn't. I suppose that I should just chalk it up to innocent curiosity.

Nevertheless, the boat has slowed to a gentle crawl, which means that we're there. And that means that it falls to me to get two very powerful, and probably very grumpy demigods out of bed. Because not all of us are children of Apollo, who delight in rising with the sun. In fact, we often annoy the other campers with how energetic we are first thing in the morning.

 _Speaking of annoying other campers..._ I draw a huge breath into my lungs, holding it there for a second, then I exhale it all at once. "Rise and shine!"

Will shoots up with a start, his eyes wide and alert. "Holy Hephaestus! What's going on!?"

His reaction is priceless, and I double over, laughing. "That was brilliant!" I really have to make a note to wake them up like this more often. Will's reactions alone are enough to make it worth any punishment that they could rain down on me.

Two ghostly pale eyes glare at me from under a pillow. "Bugger off, knobhead." His foreign accent bleeds profusely into his words. _Well, I guess that answers that question. Kai's accent slips in when he's angry._ And just to prove his point, Kai promptly pulls the pillow back over his head, hiding himself from view.

On the other hand, hearing him swear like that is downright hilarious. "You didn't get much sleep last night, did you?"

The pillow moves slightly, and luminous gray eyes stare back at me. "I'll sleep better once I'm off this bloody deathtrap!" _Oh...yeah, he's still pissed._

 _Well, might as well get him motivated to start the day._ I glance at Will, who looks like he wants to go back to sleep as well. _Better get both of them up and ready._ "We're here."

As expected, that's all it takes to get both of them sitting up and wide awake. Kai's eyes darken and narrow. "How long?"

"Just arrived." I look back up and out of the cabin. "It's dawn, so get ready. We'll probably be finding a place to get off in a few minutes." That should definitely be enough to get the two of them motivated and ready to move. Their determination is probably the only thing that can override their grumpiness.

I turn around and shut the cabin door behind me, leaving the two of them with enough privacy to make themselves decent and ready for the day. And for a place that I half-expected to look like a bunch of swamps, this place is actually very pretty at sunrise. The pink, orange, and gold light peeks over the trees and shines and shimmers when it hits the surface of the water. And the water is much clearer than I expected it to be. _Maybe the naiads who live here do routine clean-ups..._

* * *

A half hour later, then three of us are climbing through the rather dangerous terrain of the Ausable Marsh. I wish that we'd had some proper gear for this, or even some rubber boots, but we've had to make do with keeping to the trees and climbing along exposed roots. It kind of reminds me of the hellish camping trips that Will insists that we go on every June. The Apollo cabin kicks off the start of the summer with an epic hike through the Appalachian Mountains. Though...there's one major difference. This place is sopping wet.

Will groans as a branch snaps back to nearly smack him on the head, nicking his ear instead. "Ow... Can't I just fly over this place and look for the entrance? It would be so much easier, and save a lot of time."

"If you could see it from the air, it would be." Kai's eyes search the area around us, narrowing at every little movement. "But you won't be able to sense the entrance. And I doubt that it's going to stand out much. According to Nico, it used to be hidden in a pile of rocks in Central Park back when he was our age. No one ever really used it because they couldn't find it."

That certainly explains a lot. I jump to another tree root, holding my arms out to keep my balance. "So...are you the only one who can find it, then?"

Kai nods. "The only one here. Nico could find it faster than me...but I don't need his help now, I can find the entrance myself." Kai takes a few steps forward, looking around at our surroundings suspiciously. "Do either of you see that?"

"See what?" I look around, trying to figure what in Hades he's looking at.

"Yeah..." Will's eyes dart around, looking between the trees. "Someone else is here."

I stop fidgeting immediately, reaching slowly for the bow in my quiver. "Who, where, and how many?"

"Half a dozen, I think." Kai's hands twitch slightly. "Scratch that, I think there's more than that." I've heard that the children of Hades have a lot of powers related to life and death, mostly the latter, but they keep a lot of them secret, so I'm not entirely sure what is setting Kai off this way. But it's never good to disregard a demigod's instincts, they've saved every single one of us one multiple occasions.

Half a dozen or more is not what I'd have liked to hear, but if it comes down to it, I know that I'm fast enough to have most of them down before they can get to us. Unless, of course, they have abilities that equip them for a sneak attack. This is the kid of situation that I've been practicing for. Surrounded by enemies, and on a deadline. But this is definitely going to be harder than putting arrows into a stationary target.

The trees behind me rustle a little, and I turn my bow on the source of the disturbance, ready to fire at a moment's notice. I run through a whole list of creatures that might make their home in a swamp, varying from harmless ones, to devastatingly lethal one. Personally, I'm hoping that it's just a bunch of snakes or something. The trees rustle again, and my grip on my bow tightens. And then, a figure emerges from behind the closest tree root.

It's a girl. She looks up at me, a soft smile on her face as she glides smoothly through the water. Her hair is a soft brown, her skin pale and soft-looking under a dress of translucent silk. And her hazel eyes resemble the trees around her. She's one of the prettiest girl I've ever seen, and could definitely compete with the nymphs at camp, along with the girls of the Aphrodite Cabin.

She smiles sweetly, ignoring my bow. "It's alright, we're not going to hurt you. My sisters and I only wonder who has come into our marsh. I am Neaera."

"Your sisters?" My eyes flick around to the other trees, and sure enough, several more girls emerge from behind the roots, all smiling, though some more shyly than others. _That's...a lot of nymphs. Dad would be in heaven._ I roll my eyes slightly at the thought of what my immortal father would do when surrounded by a bunch of pretty nature spirits.

Kai, on the other hand, is less amused by the sudden appearance of the nymphs. "We're here to search for a demigod. There's an entrance to the Underworld in this marsh, and we're looking to get inside."

"The Underworld?" A nymph with golden blonde hair tilts her head. "Who in their right mind would go down there?"

"Monsters, and maybe demigods who wish to die." A black haired nymph shakes her head. "If this demigod is down there, then he is likely already dead."

"She, and I would know if she was." Kai grits his teeth, his hand traveling slowly towards his sword.

"She? A girl?" The black haired nymph's eyes drift across the three of us.

"Yes, we're here to look for a girl, I'm glad we established that." Kai huffs impatiently and rolls his eyes, clearly not at all afraid of offending the nymphs. "Now, can we be on our way? We're on something of a deadline." And while he says we have a deadline, it's more a state of being, than any actual time. We have until Ciara can't hold on any longer to find her.

The dark haired nymph watches Kai with a smile on her face. "Well, if you're looking for a girl, there are many here." She waves her hand towards the other nymphs in the water. "And you three look so tired. Perhaps you should stay here and rest before continuing on your quest. Who knows, one of our sisters saw something that might be of use to you, I could gather the others, if you like..."

Will watches them suspiciously for a moment, before relaxing a bit. "So you might know how to find her?"

"Perhaps." The nymph with the golden blonde hair approaches Will, grinning slightly. "My name is Philona." She climbs out of the water and sits herself next to Will. "Why don't you sit with me, and we can talk while we wait for Nephele to gather the others..."

"I can keep you company while we wait." Neaera pulls herself up onto the root and sits by my side, then runs her hand up my leg to my hip. "Sit and rest for a moment. I'm sure that my sister will not take long."

Something inside of me hesitates to take her up on that offer. But, since I like to try and look for the best in others, I might as well give her a shot. "Alright." I crouch down and slide my legs down over the side of the root, the bottoms of my shoes just barely skimming the water. My bow takes a place beside me on the root, still within reach, but lying there in a non-threatening manner.

She glances at the bow, then at my quiver. "So...I take it by your appearance and choice of weapons that you are a child of the sun?"

 _Child of the sun?_ I nod. "Cabin Seven, Apollo. I'm one of Camp Half-Blood's medics and archers." I might as well make small talk with the nymph while we wait for the others.

Her eyes glitter a little. "Oh, that's quite noble. But you seem rather young for such a difficult task. How old are you?"

"Twelve." I shrug slightly. "But I started a few years ago. Most of my siblings start learning to tend to the infirmary and to shoot a bow as soon as they arrive. Even the little ones help out. So to anyone in camp, my age wouldn't come as a surprise. I would be tempted to ask how old she is, but she's a nymph, so she could be decades old for all I know. That, and I've learned quite a few times from the Aphrodite Cabin that you're not supposed to ask a woman her age, despite the fact that none of the girls at camp should be at all offended by it. They're almost all teenagers.

Naeara raises her hand, brushing her fingers against my cheek. "It has been a long time since we've last had visitors. I'd love to have you stay a while so that we can get to know each other. Demigods are far more interesting than mortals."

Her offer is actually kind of tempting. The only nymphs I've met are the ones at camp, and no matter how interesting they are, it does get a bit boring talking to the same ones over and over again. But...we still have a quest to finish. "Maybe...after we come back from the Underworld. It shouldn't take us too long.

Neaera smiles gently at me, leaning in close to my face. "Oh, but you're such a handsome boy. Won't you please give me a kiss? I'm sure that you would be very happy here with me and my sisters. You could stay here with us, and let someone else do the dangerous questing instead. There's no need for you to risk your life for nothing."

When her face gets even closer, a familiar face flashes in front of my eyes, and I blink quickly. _Whoa, wait, what am I doing?_ She doesn't seem to notice my agitation, and she just leans even closer to me. Close enough that I can count all of her eyelashes. I can even see the different flecks of color in her eyes. The naiads are certainly very pretty, and I know that several of my older siblings would jump at the chance to have a whole marsh full of pretty girls around them, but there's just one problem. I smile sweetly at her, my hands coming up to caress her shoulders. "Sorry, but I'm afraid that I'm no good for you right now." Eran comes briefly to mind, along with a rush of heat, and a flicker of amusement at the memory of flirting right in front of Ciara. "I'm into boys right now."

I shove Naeara away, toppling her back down into the water as I get to my feet. I pick my bow back up, reaching for one of the flash-bang arrows in my quiver. My eyes quickly find Kai and Will, who both look a little dazed by the attention they're receiving from the nymphs. _Okay, think about the legends. Nymphs who live in the marshes...what do they do...?_ A few seconds tick by, and a flash of inspiration shoots through me. _Eleionomae!_ _They make illusions to draw travelers astray, and they like to seduce virgins!_ As soon as the though crosses my mind, I blush. _Well, I suppose that explains a lot._

I draw my bow as Naeara rises out of the water. "You will pay for that, child of Apollo."

"I don't think so." I loose the arrow, striking the nearest tree with it. And the Hephaestus campers really outdid themselves this time. Though I suppose that I should expect no less from Eran, he's a pretty good tinkerer. Everything is bathed in a bright white light, and the bang sounds like a bomb going off. _Thank you, Eran Valdez!_

There are shrieks from the nymphs as they dive back into the water, escaping quickly from the light and noise. I don't like the fact that I've just attacked a bunch of nymphs in their own home, but I can't just sit by and let them seduce the three of us here. Then, I direct my gaze onto Will and Kai, who seem to be rather disoriented by the sudden release of a flash-bang arrow. Then again, it's not like I could have told them, that would have tipped off the nymphs.

Groaning, Will pushes himself to his feet, using the tree as support. "Well, that was interesting."

I nod a bit. "Yeah. Those marsh nymphs were trying to seduce us. Chiron's told us stories at the campfires, and a few of them covered marsh nymphs, and the things they did to get travelers lost in their territory... And they really like to seduce young boys." My cheeks continue to burn a little at the thought of the possibility of being seduced by one of the pretty nymphs. Of course, it's not hard to see why someone would fall for one. It's not like they're unattractive.

"That explains a lot." Will recovers fairly quickly, shaking his head to clear it. "So, I bet that was new to you, Death Breath. I bet you've never had a girl trying to get you to take her to bed." Will's smirk is directed right at Kai, and the condescension in his expression is clear.

Kai rolls his eyes and snorts derisively. "I bet you're used to getting this much attention. What with all the girls at camp fawning over you. I wouldn't have expected you to fall into their trap so easily."

Will scoffs irritably. "Yeah? Well I didn't see you putting up much of a fight. Aren't you supposed to be cold to them, or something? What happened to that iron wall that no one seems to be able to get past?"

Flushing with anger, Kai glares murderously at Will. "Let's get one thing straight. It's other people who don't like me. I never asked for anyone to hate me on principle. You guys decided that all by yourselves." His resentment is pouring out of him like a waterfall, and considering everything that's happened, I can hardly blame him.

On the other hand, their arguing is really starting to grate on my nerves. We need to focus here, because we've got an important job to do. And just as Will opens his mouth to retaliate, I lose my temper. "Enough!" I shout loudly, calling their full and undivided attention to me. "Will the two of you stop bickering like a couple of pre-schoolers and focus!?" I never yell, ever. But being around these two is making me do a lot of things that I've never done before. "We've got to find that entrance to the Underworld! Because, unless the two of you have forgotten, we're on a rescue mission!"

Kai freezes, his eyes moving far away from Will, and goes back to searching the area. "It's close." He's gone from fighting mode to questing mode in seconds, which I suppose is a good thing, because we really need to get moving.

"Well, then at least something good came out of nearly hooking up with a bunch of horny nature spirits." Will crosses his arms, looking stubbornly down at his feet. I guess that it must have hurt his pride to have been taken in by their charms. Although, to be fair, they've been doing this for a very long time, so it's hardly his fault that he couldn't resist a magically pretty face. Though in his defense, Will seems to be infinitely more social than Kai. Even if that would appear not to be by Kai's choice.

Kai ignores Will in favor of pushing his way through some soaking wet underbrush, clearly on a mission. _He must have figured out where the entrance is!_ I hop from root to root, following behind him. I have to be careful not to lose sight of him. Even though there's plenty of daylight, there's more than enough shadows down here to make it hard to keep track of someone wearing mostly black.

Since we've already announced ourselves rather spectacularly to the swamp, Will doesn't bother with being stealthy as he follows along behind us. His footsteps make the roots and bark crack slightly, which isn't surprising, since he's by far the tallest and heaviest of the three of us. He probably has puberty to thank for that. Though, on the other hand, that makes it a little weird that Kai is able to be so silent. He's like a ghost in the swamp.

After leading us in a fairly straight line for about ten minutes, Kai slows down and comes out in a small clearing. "We're here." He glances down, staring into the murky water that is likely deceptively deep. "Keep to the trees and follow me." He sidles along the roots, heading for a large pile of rocks on the other side of the pond. There's definitely something eerie about this place, but I just can't put my finger on it.

When we get close to the small island with the pile of rocks on it, Kai tenses slightly, before jumping off a tree root. He sails through the air before landing deftly next to the pile of rocks, leaning forward a little to stay balanced as he steps away from the water that spreads out behind him. He turns and beckons us over. Will complies, jumping from a root slightly further away, the air carrying him safely to the island.

I know pretty well that there's no way I'll be able to make a jump that far on my own. Will can call on his powers for help, and Kai just seems to be athletic enough to make the jump without assistance. _Well...here goes nothing..._ I reach into my quiver and pull out an arrow. We put in several orders to the Hephaestus cabin a while back for a bunch of specialty arrows. This is one of them. I point it at a tree far above our heads, drawing the bowstring back, before firing the arrow high into the air. But while the front half of the arrow sails into the tree, embedding itself there, the back half of the arrow remains attached to my bow, with Celestial Bronze wires connecting the two.

Pulling on the bow, I make sure that the arrow is securely fixed in the tree, before backing up a few paces, and running forwards, pulling on the rope and hauling myself into the air, sailing above the surface of the water. Using the centripetal force created by the angle of my jump, I swing towards the small island, my feet hitting the ground as I let go of the rope and stumble onto the small patch of green.

Will catches the rope and tugs on it. "Let's tie it here so that we can use it after we get out."

Kai nods, turning towards the rocks as Will goes about fastening the end of the cable to the ground. "This is the entrance, the Door of Orpheus."

While I'd really like Kai to be right, I'm a little skeptical. To me, it really just looks like a big pile of rocks. But I suppose, to someone like Kai, someone obviously in tune with the energies of the Underworld, it looks very different. Still, I'd rather be sure before we try and crack open a magic tunnel. "Are you sure that this is the place?"

Kai touches the rocks, running his hand over the bumpy surface. "Yeah, this is the place. I can feel the difference in the air here. This is definitely an entrance to the Underworld." That might explain the weird feeling I've had ever since we got close to these rocks.

"So, are you planning to pull us through the shadows and down into that place?" Will crosses his arms and stares at the rocks warily, his job of tying the cable down complete.

Kai flinches slightly at the suggestion. "...I'd rather not try that."

That worries me a little. "Why not?" He had no problem getting us near the boat earlier, so there should be nothing stopping him now. Unless...there's something he's not telling us.

He leans against the rock, looking as worried as I feel. "I've never actually made a trip to the Underworld by myself. I only ever tagged along with Nico. I always trust him to know precisely how far to jump when we travel. But...especially since I've never used this entrance before, I don't know how far to throw us. If I screw up, I could get us stuck in a wall. Above ground, there's not as much chance for that to happen."

 _Stuck in a wall?_ I shiver at the thought. "Okay, so then how do we open the door?"

"Well, you're a child of Apollo..." I'm not entirely sure what he's getting at, so he frowns and sighs. "It's moved around a lot, but this is the tunnel that Orpheus used to get in and out of the Underworld when he wanted to get his wife's soul back."

Will's eyes widen slightly. "He used a lyre and charmed his way into the Underworld, right to Hades' palace. Music, that's how you open it?"

Kai frowns a bit, then nods. "Yeah. Orpheus used music to get into the Underworld. So, why not have a child of Apollo, the god of music, open up the tunnel for us?"

My heart sinks at his request, and I feel a measure of shame welling up inside me. "Um...that might not be as easy as you think." Both of them focus their attention back on me. "I...well, I can play a few instruments, but I didn't bring them with me. And I...I don't really sing all that well."

Two sets of incredulous eyes watch me, and if the two of them were any less proud, their mouths would probably be hanging open in shock. Kai presses his fingers to his temples and massages them gently. "Okay...so you're saying that you can't open the tunnel?" I look down at my feet, feeling rather ashamed of myself. Then, Kai huffs impatiently. "What about you?"

I look up to see Will raising his hands into the air. "Don't look at me. If one of Apollo's kids can fess up to not being able to sing, then I see no reason to overstate my singing ability. I sound like a dying frog. I literally croak."

Kai's expression falls, and he looks, rather than upset, distinctly uncomfortable. That makes me frown. "Kai? What's up?"

"There's...only one way in, then." His lightly tanned cheeks darken with a blush.

Will snorts. "What, are you going to break out a guitar and start singing?"

Kai shoots him a glare. "I left my guitar back in London the last time Nico and I took a trip to Europe. This year, he insisted on going to England for the New Year with Will. I got dragged along."

Will's eyes widen significantly, and he frowns with the effort of trying to compute all of that. "New Year...? I was just kidding about the guitar...wait, the last time? How many trips do you take to Europe?" Even I'm a little surprised. I mean, I've always thought that Kai was a year round camper. I didn't know that he was taking regular trips to Europe, let alone what seems to be several annual holiday trips with his family.

Kai grumbles irritably, obviously annoyed with all of the questions. "On vacation, usually three or four times a year. For school, I spend October and November, then February, March, and April there. Been doing it since I was ten."

Something about that sounds wrong to me. "Wait, so you go to school in Europe?" That certainly explains how he still has an accent sometimes. But the timetable is all wrong, those aren't standard school semesters anywhere.

Kai's eye twitches. "Yes, it gets me away from camp. And can we not talk about this now? I know that ADHD does bad things to our attention spans, but can we not talk about my dual citizenship right now? I need to open up this tunnel."

 _Dual citizenship!?_ And the mystery that is Kai just keeps getting deeper. _I wonder why he lives at camp for half the year...Chiron would know, right?_ I make a mental not to go and ask Chiron about it later, or maybe Will. That is, if I can't get it out of Kai, first. _He doesn't seem to like answering personal questions...so do these ones count as mundane, then?_

Kai steps back, breathing out with a sigh. "You two, cover your ears, I'm going to try and open the tunnel."

I have no idea where he's going with this, but I lift my hands to my ears anyway, covering them completely. Will rolls his eyes, but does the same. While noise is blocked out, I can certainly still see what's going on, and Kai's mouth is moving. Curiosity burns at me, so I carefully, slowly remove my hands from my ears, letting the sound of Kai's voice enter my brain.

 _"There's a place that I know..._

 _It's not pretty there and few have ever gone..."_

My eyes widen slightly. _Kai is...singing?_ And to be honest, he sounds as good as most of my siblings. If I didn't know better, I'd say that he was a child of Apollo, not Hades, based solely on his voice. His accent is slipping in a little, and it compliments the slightly high pitch of his voice. _He's going to sound amazing when his voice finally cracks..._

 _"If I show it to you now,_ _will it make you run away?_

 _Or will you stay, e_ _ven if it hurts...?"_

Will raises an eyebrow and lets his hands fall from his ears. His eyebrow roams higher as the song continues out of Kai's mouth. Clearly, this isn't what Will was expecting either. Although, considering that basically no one knows anything about Kai's hobbies, I suppose that it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that he likes music. Despite the occasional rumor that floats around about what the sons of Hades do in their free time, music is a pretty normal interest. _Maybe he's not as weird as everyone thinks he is..._

 _"Even if I try to push you out, will you return?_

 _And remind me who I really am..._

 _Please remind me who I really am..."_

The rocks begins to rumble, the song obviously having an effect on the magic placed here. A hole starts to open up in the rocks, growing wider and wider in front of our eyes. Though the lyrics of the song worry me a little. They sounded almost depressing. And lonely, very lonely.

As the last notes fade from Kai's throat, Will looks at him in disbelief. "That song...is so OLD. How do you even know a song like that?" He shakes his head mockingly. "You are such a girl, Death Breath. I didn't know that you could sing, let alone that you would sing love songs."

Kai shoots a glare back at Will, his eyes promising murder. "If you tell anyone...I'll make sure to bury you so far in the ground, it'll take our scouts centuries to find you."

I blink at Kai, rather bemused. "So...why can you sing? I mean, you're good at it, I just never pegged you as a guy who would have a bunch of musical talents."

Kai's glare falls onto me next, though I'm pretty sure that I can detect a light blush on his face. "It's none of your business. And if you ask again, I will leave you down there in the dark and let you find your own way out." His tone leaves no room for arguing, which means that my question probably hit a sore spot.

That doesn't mean I can shut up, though. "So...who's the artist?"

"Doesn't matter." Kai peers into the tunnel and nods. "Alright, it goes down at a twenty degree slope. So watch out while you're walking, because I'm not holding either of your hands to get you down there. If you trip and fall, it's your own damn fault."

"Okay..." I cautiously take a few steps forward, following Kai down into the darkness of the tunnel. "So...does this mean that you'll come and sing for us at campfires?"

"No." Kai's curt reply stings a little. Then again, with how shy he seems to be, I guess it's no surprise that he doesn't want to sing in front of people. He's so good that he might just get mobbed by the girls, no matter his reputation for being cold and mean. Because if anything, this trip of ours has definitely proved that he's not as cold and mean as everyone thinks.

 _Okay, new mission...get Kai to agree to coming to sing at one of the campfires._ I grin eagerly at the idea of sitting Kai down so that he can sing in front of everyone. _Oh, my sisters are going to flip when they hear him sing! And Ciara is going to love it!_ Though first things first, we need to get down this tunnel and into the Underworld. Then, we can rescue Ciara, and I'll work on getting Kai to sing at the party we'll have when we get back.

After we get ourselves safely in and out of the Underworld.

* * *

 **Eleionomae is the Greek name for the nymphs who live in marshy areas.**

 **Okay, so for anyone with similar music tastes to mine, you'll recognize that the lyrics of the song are from Kelly Clarkson's song "Dark Side". And here is why I went with that song, after much deliberation.**

 **1) Yes, this story is set about a decade from now, which means that likely, no kids their age would probably be listening to that, particularly teenage or pre-teen boys. However! Someone from one generation earlier certainly might have listened to the song. And kids do pick up the lyrics of songs that they hear played when they're young (which is why I know as much Shania Twain and Barra MacNeils as I do) Hint...hint...**

 **2) I thought that the spirit of the song was appropriate for this particular character.**

 **3) The song, in a twisted way, could fit the situation at hand. I wonder if anyone can figure out why...**


	31. An Army Nearly Drowned

**Alright, so my laptop has crapped out again (and this time, when I take it in for repairs, I'm not taking it home until they've assured me that they've fixed the problem). But anyway, I'll make do with using the library computers until obscene hours of the night (since the library is took packed for most of the day to get one, though what do you honestly expect on a campus...).**

 **So, good morning, afternoon, evening, and goodnight. Let's get on with answering some of your questions, shall we? So, long Author's Note ahead (though you'll probably like it longer anyway).**

 **Now, here are the reasons why I used "Dark Side" by Kelly Clarkson, as indicated in the last chapter...**

 **1) I wanted to give Will something to tease Kai about (preferably calling him a girl, because there's nothing like challenging a teenage boy's masculinity). So, I figured that making him sing something sung by a woman would be enough (just be glad I didn't pick something by the Spice girls, since I was going for British artists, originally), as long as it involved love somewhere.**

 **2) I found that it fit with Kai's character, his background (which I'm still revealing bits and pieces of), and his heritage (as well as the special little ability that he is going to be displaying next chapter, yes, the end of the rescue mission is in sight).**

 **3) It fits well with the situation at hand, as well as with where they are going because of said situation. I mean, if there is anything darker than going to the Underworld for a rescue mission (at least, in the story) then I haven't imagined it yet. But, yeah, if you go over the lyrics of the whole song, then there's actually a lot of angst in there, which just reinforces his socially awkward and defensively reclusive character (because honestly, he wouldn't avoid people so much if he wasn't trying to protect himself).**

 **4) And lastly, because of the year this is set in, which holds as true to the actual PJO timeline as possible (so...we're talking about 2026-ish, since that's enough time for them all to have grown up and started having kids, as Percy was born in 1993 and it would place them all in their early to mid-thirties by then), this song would have been around when Kai's mother was younger, seeing as it's something that I personally listen to. So, it stands to reason that as a kid, he would have heard his mother's music choices (I know that I've heard enough Beatles, Queen, John Denver, Neil Diamond, The Carpenters, and Barra MacNeils to last a lifetime, my mom will literally blast it through the house while she's cleaning...or painting...or just bored, though personally, I tend to prefer Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, 30 Seconds to Mars, Simple Plan, Mariana's Trench, Black Veil Brides, Linkin Park, Panic at the Disco, etc...).**

 **And as for the sequel query...yes, there will be. I'm planning on doing it year by year, and each story will be a single summer. So there will indeed be a sequel, and then another, and another, and probably a couple of more. So I am certainly planning on setting it up like the books, in which there are many years to go through before everything settles down (though that doesn't mean that I'm not planning on knocking off some minor characters along the way...eventually). But you'll just have to wait and see for that (after all, I do have some other projects that need finishing up, including this one).**

 **Now, on with the show.**

* * *

Kai's P.O.V.

I'm starting to wonder why I even brought Sam along at this point. Sure, there's still his healing abilities, which we might need. And he did manage to snap out of that trap first. But I never thought that there would be a child of Apollo who couldn't sing.

Then again...My brother-in-law could shatter windows in his attempts. And I once had the misfortune to listen to him whistle. I thought that my eardrums would never recover. Luckily, the same man who nearly shattered my eardrums with his ultrasonic whistle is also the one who made sure that my ears stopped ringing before Christmas.

For now, all I can do is stubbornly ignore Will and his attempts to tease me about my voice. I hate singing in front of people, which is why I always keep that little talent a secret. Because at camp, being able to sing means that the Apollo Cabin will drag you to the campfire, whether you want to go or not. And in my case, that is a firm not, unless Nico is there to abduct me and make me go anyway.

I shake my head and place my hand against the wall of the tunnel, peering into the darkness uneasily. _Okay...I need to focus and let my eyes adjust. There's no way that the other two are going to be able to see down this tunnel, so I need to be the one to find the way out. Unless..._ "I don't suppose that either of you brought flashlights?"

Glancing at Sam, I notice that he cringes slightly. "Sorry...I didn't pack with the Underworld in mind." _Well isn't that convenient..._

I sigh quietly. "It's fine...I can lead us out of here. My eyes just need to adjust to the darkness." And speaking of adjusting, I can start to make out some blurry shapes up ahead that look like tunnel walls. "Alright, follow me. We're about to head into a fifteen degree incline, which means that we're leveling out a bit. Try not to trip."

"No worries here." Will sounds a little smug, and I would bet anything that it has to do with the fact that if he trips, he can just levitate himself out of trouble. Damn son of Zeus.

I remove my hand from the wall and start walking straight, all of the residual light behind us snuffing itself out and leaving us in almost total darkness. _Okay, focus. You need to keep an eye on the floor and the ceiling. The last thing we need is for someone to trip or hit their head on something. You also need to keep your senses open for living energy._ I take a few deep breaths and try to relax, letting myself tune in to the energy flows down here. Of course, it's mostly the energy of the dead, as well as some of the monsters and other beings who serve vital functions down here. Though there is also the energy or Tartarus permeating the air, though luckily, we're still very far away from that deathtrap.

Slowly, I start to tune in to the two energies behind me, uniquely alive in ways that nothing else down here is. It's good, because I'll have something to compare to when we finally get close enough to sense her.

We walk on for what feels like an hour, silent for the most part, except when I speak up to give the other two directions on where not to step, or where to duck. And with each step, my anxiety starts to spin out of control. I know very well that the mortal world and the Underworld progress at different speeds, and that if she's down here, then it hasn't felt as long to her than it has to us. That buys us some time, but not nearly as much as I would like.

And if this turns out to be a wild goose chase, then we might not find her in time.

Suddenly, the floor levels off, and the tunnel opens up into a place that I've seen many times before. _Asphodel..._ The grassy Asphodel Fields, filled with wandering, lingering spirits lies before us. That means that we're not too far from my father's palace. Though I would prefer to avoid going there, if at all possible. Because while he might not mind Sam, because of Nico's preference for a certain son of Apollo, he's definitely not going to be pleased that his nephew is down here.

"Whoa..." Sam stops next to me, looking rather dumbstruck. "Well...it's definitely brighter in here..."

Brighter is right, since there are glowing crystals along the endless walls and up on the mile high arched ceiling. At least now I don't have to spend time making sure that neither of them fall flat on their face or end up with a concussion. They should be able to see well enough to follow along without help.

But, now that we're down here, I stretch out my senses, searching for what I imagine is going to be an unmistakably familiar sensation. I've been on the receiving end of Ciara's power more than once, so I'm fairly confident that if I can find it, I'll know her energy as soon as I touch it. So, I take a few steps forward, advancing slowly, stretching my attention out in all directions.

Frustration quickly takes over as I find it impossible to sense her at all. _Is she not down here...? If she isn't, then why the hell would we be here in the first place!?_ I feel like growling in frustration, even though I know very well that getting angry won't help. Gods know I've tried it enough times, only to fail to use it properly.

"Hey, cool it!" A hand touches my shoulder, one much larger than Sam's. And then, Will enters my field of vision, stepping in front of me, his face serious. "You're looking for her, right? Getting agitated isn't going to help."

I scoff irritably. "Like you would know what will help me focus..."

"Breathe." His eyes bore into mine, holding steady and calm. I don't know how he's staying so calm, but it's pissing me off a little. "Just close your eyes and breathe. Count it for four seconds both ways, in and out."

"What are you-" I try to shake his hand off, but he cuts me off.

"In and out. In for four seconds, out for four seconds. Keep your eyes closed, and focus. If she's here, you'll find her." He's acting like he's my big brother, and it's pissing me off even more.

I knock his hand away and glare at him. "What do you think you're doing!? Are you trying to make fun of me!?"

Will frowns slightly. "Now's not the time for teasing, though I'll definitely indulge you when we get back to camp. But before we left, Nico told me that if you got angry and agitated, it would screw up your perception, and that if that happened, someone would need to calm you down. He told me that this is the best way to get your head back on straight." His nose scrunches a bit. "So, are you good now?"

I ball up my fists, suppressing my anger. Then, I reluctantly take a deep breath, letting it hiss back out over my lips. _He's right...focus..._ I let all of my muscles relax, and I try to stop all movement of thought in my brain. I need to rely on instinct right now, which means that I can't have a bunch of conscious thought interfering and distracting me.

The flows of energy present themselves to me once more, and I let them envelop, but not overwhelm me. I take a step forward, and one of the energies ripples a little. I take another step, turning slightly in the direction that it's coming from. It's faint, very, very faint, but it's familiar, though it's nothing like Sam or Will, who do have similar, though not nearly identical energies. Sam's is brighter, lighter, while Will's feels like a quietly raging storm. This ebb and flow of the third one feels like...

 _The tide washing in and out!_

My eyes shoot open as panic races through me. "No!" I push Will aside and take off running through the grassy field. _It's flickering! That energy shouldn't be flickering!_ Nico once told me that if energy feels like a candle that's flickering between big and small, then it means that someone is on the brink of death. And seeing as none of the spirits could give off that kind of energy, and a monster's essence flows in a very different way, it means that it's a mortal.

Or a demigod.

"Wait, Kai! What's going on!?" Sam's voice is getting louder, which means that he's catching up. And judging by the heavier footsteps, so is Will.

But that doesn't mean that I'm going to slow down for them. "I found a demigod! We have to go!" We have to, because it could be Ciara.

The River Styx soon comes into view, which means that all of the hard training with heavy armor on has paid off. Endurance training has been one of my biggest priorities, and the energy is getting a little stronger, we're getting closer. Though the fact that we're this close to the Styx makes me nervous. Nico has told me stories about what the Styx will do to you if you touch the water. It will literally burn away your life energy before taking your soul.

And as the Fates would have it, it's the water of the Styx that stops me in my tracks. "Both of you, stop!"

Behind me, Sam and Will come skidding to a stop, and Sam approaches me carefully, looking around in confusion. "What's going on?"

I point at the ground, my eyes searching the area. "There's water from the Styx here, it's all over the ground." And that's not all. "Is that...monster remains?"

Will strides over casually, his eyes on the ground so that he doesn't accidentally step in a puddle of black water. "Yeah. Looks like some empousai, a few lesser demons, and..." His eyes narrow. "Those are manticore spines."

"What!?" Sam turns to look at the the spikes protruding from the ground. "Yeah...wait, what's that!?"

He points off across what looks like a battlefield, towards what looks like a snake's head in a pile of soggy mush. Will whistles low. "That...would be the end of a Chimera's tail."

My eyes flick across the ground, observing the splash pattern. And it's almost like... "The water...leapt out of the river of it's own accord...?"

Sam's eyes brighten, even in the Darkness of the Underworld. "I only know two demigods who can do that...and I'm pretty sure that Percy isn't here."

"Would...the water have drowned them or burned them first?" Will glances at the manticore tail warily.

"Well, it would have burned them, ripped their souls apart, and soaked whatever was left. So..." Then, it clicks in my head. "An army nearly drowned...nearly, because they were destroyed by the water before they could actually suffocate!" And in hindsight, it makes so much sense. The first two lines are right here in front of us.

"Okay, so we've found our drowned army, that means that Ciara has to be close by, right?" Sam looks around hopefully, his eyes searching for our missing demigod. "But...where would she go?"

I close my eyes and sit down to think. _Okay...I can feel her energy...it's fading, and it's...not moving?_ I shoot to my feet, my eyes open wide to search for the source of the energy. "She's injured, badly. There's no way that she would have resorted to using water from the Styx if she wasn't."

"Well, then that makes things easier." Will kicks at the dirt and grass along the riverbank. "What size shoe does she wear?"

"Five." Sam answers immediately, and I frown at him questioningly. He shrugs. "I've been training with her a bunch, and I've seen the number on the bottom of her shoes when we go up the climbing wall."

Will sighs. "In that case, she went this way." He points along the riverbank, towards some lights shining in the distance. "What's that way?"

My blood runs cold at the sight of the lights. "That's...my father's palace." The possibilities that arise if she managed to get that far are not good. "I hope that she didn't get that far. It's safer to leave her out for the monsters to find, than to let her wander right into the palace." Glancing down at the ground, I make sure to step carefully. "Alright, both of you watch where you step, and if possible, step where I do. We need to hurry." _Because every second we waste could be the one it takes to save her._

I weave my way out of the water minefield without stepping in any of the black water. That stuff is seriously lethal, and I by looking around, I can only imagine what drove Ciara to do something so dangerous. The scent of sulfur is heavy in the air, almost stiflingly so.

But, step by step, I emerge from the watery minefield and come out on the other side, where the tracks pick up. Small feet, definitely in the right range for a twelve year old girl, have made tracks leading off towards the palace. I look back for a second, making sure that Sam and Will have gotten out as well, before motioning forward. "She's this way."

Will nods, jogging over with Sam following closely behind. "Then let's follow the tracks and hope that we find her at the end of the trail."

That's certainly the best plan, so it's off to follow the tracks left by small feet, leading away from the Styx and into the low grass of the Fields of Asphodel. Though, judging by the spacing of the footsteps, she was tired, injured, and stumbling along. None of those are a good sign. However, what is a good sign is that her energy is getting closer, so we're definitely on the right track.

We speed up into a jog, each of us glancing down periodically to make sure that we're still following the tracks. But there's something strange about them. They look like they're getting heavier, and they're closer together than before. I turn to Sam for an explanation. "What would make her leave tracks like this?"

He slows down for a few seconds, examining the tracks. "Demigod levels of exhaustion. And considering that she must have just fought a battle, that makes sense. The uneven pattern here, with the steps closer together probably means that she hasn't got much strength left. It probably took all she had to get to wherever she is."

Will nods grimly. "She's probably passed out somewhere near here, then." He frowns a little, then sighs. "Can you pinpoint her location now?"

Considering how close we should be to her, I can probably get a precise location now. So, I close my eyes one last time to search for the ebb and flow of her energy. _There..._ My eyes travel slightly off the path of the tracks. "That way!"

Now, I know where I'm going, I know exactly how far away she is. I break into a run, only three hundred meters left. Two hundred and fifty. Two hundred. I resist the urge to slow down as I reach the hundred and fifty meter mark. All I need to do is not pull a muscle now. One hundred meters. Fifty meters. At thirty meters, I can see something ahead, something on the ground, but it's hard to make it out. Twenty meters, I can see a body in the grass. And at ten meters, I can see it clearly.

"Ciara!" She doesn't move an inch as I skid to a stop right next to her, kneeling in the grass next to her body. She's so still, and her energy has waned, even in the last minute. Carefully, I turn her over onto her back, her brown hair flopping lifelessly onto the grass.

Instantly, my stomach feels like it's made out of lead. Her armor is ruined, slashed open and looks like there was blood leaking out. I pull my hands from the grass, only to find blood covering my fingers. _No..._ I lift her wrists and tap them together, like I've seen her do before. Her armor, or what's left of it, disappears, leaving her in blood-soaked clothes, and revealing harsh burns to her skin, no doubt caused by the almost acidic properties of the River Styx. Her chest rises and falls, her lungs supplied only by shallow breaths. I lower my head and press my ear to her chest to hear the dull thumping of her heart.

"Sam! We need you here, now!" I definitely do not have the medical skills needed to deal with this. Every camper learns some rudimentary first aid at some point, but this clearly needs an Apollo healer. This close to her, I can tell that she's fading fast, and it's a lot worse than the time she healed me.

Wind gusts around me, and almost out of thin air, Will and Sam appear, Will's face screwed up in concentration. They drop to the ground and Will groans slightly. "Well, that was fun. Remind me to practice that beforehand next time."

"Yeah, sure." Sam replies absently, his eyes fixed on Ciara. "This is bad. We need to get her somewhere safe, somewhere clean and dry, where I can work on her."

Will grimaces. "But it will take too long to get her out of here. Is there any place besides the palace that we could go?"

The palace is definitely not an option, since we would probably bring my father's wrath down on us if Will set one foot inside that place. But... "I know where we can go."

Will raises a curious eyebrow. "Is it safe?"

"Yes." And it's a place I know very well. "I can get us there, it's not far. We'll be safe there, and we'll have plenty of privacy. We'll also be far enough away from my father, just in case he decides that he doesn't like demigods running around Asphodel."

Will still looks a bit uncertain, but Sam nods his assent. "Then let's go."

"Alright." I hook an arm around Ciara's waist, pulling her motionless body to her feet, along with Sam's arm. Then, I turn to Will, holding out my hand. "Do you trust me?"

He stares at me, wariness obvious in his eyes. His eyes flick down to my hand, though his own hasn't moved. Considering that this is the Underworld, and that I could literally be taking them anywhere, it's only natural that he feels a little anxious. He swallows nervously, then his hand moves up, grasping my left wrist with his right hand as he breathes calmly. "Let's go."

My fingers tighten around his wrist, and a wry smile crosses my face. "I hope you don't hurl in my house." And with that cheery thought, I hurl us into the abundant darkness of the Underworld.


	32. The Breath of Life

**Alright, so here comes the chapter you've all been waiting for (I think). I had the time and motivation to do it today, and so, I did (well, I wrote it in between my Early Middle Ages and Survey of Western Art classes, but you get the point).**

 **And since the prophecies in the books were incomprehensible half the time, anyway, I'll try and do it a bit more realistically and let the boys have a brainstorming session over it (since it's about time the demigods get to complain that a prophecy makes no sense, and try to make sense of it themselves).**

* * *

Sam's P.O.V.

I will admit that Shadow Travel is a really cool and convenient power, and it's awesome for getting to other places quickly. What I could do without is the feeling that I'm going to be frozen, flayed, flattened, or otherwise made to expect to come face to face with Hades himself.

But the place we land in is an easy distraction to focus on, rather than the after-effects of Shadow Travel. Thanks to Kai's grip on my arm, I only stumble sightly, and his sense of balance keeps us all from toppling over. Will, for one, looks like he's seriously going to be sick, and his grip on Kai's arm loosens as he sinks to the floor. "Ugh...I hate Shadow Travel..."

"Yeah, yeah, complain about it later." Kai uses his free hand to secure Ciara's legs, and proceeds to carry her through a wide archway. "Come on, there's a table you can use this way." He looks down at her, his face paler than usual. It's strange, even though he spends a lot of time inside, he's got a decent tan. Nothing like Percy's or my siblings, but it's darker than I would expect, considering that he usually acts like a mushroom at camp.

I follow him through the archway and into a larger room that looks almost like a regular kitchen. The walls are black and shiny, but apart from that, there's a table and chairs, counters, and what looks like a fridge and stove tucked against one of the walls.

My eyes widen as I take in the sight of the room. "What did you say this place was?"

"It's my house down here." He places her carefully on the table, not caring that she's leaking blood onto it. "Nico and I both have homes down here for whenever we come to visit. We've also got rooms in the palace if Dad wants to have a family get-together when Persephone isn't around." He's most careful with her head, which he settles carefully on the hard stone. "I have pillows in my room, do you want me to get them?"

"Sure, she could use one." I move to the table, taking my medical kit from my backpack. I may not have had any flashlights earlier, but I never leave camp without my medical supplies. _Maybe I should add flashlights to my essentials..._ I race over to the sink, sliding off my muddy jacket before turning the water on as hot as I can handle it, cleaning off my arms as best I can.

Kai disappears from the room just as Will walks in. His eyes find Ciara's pale face and fill themselves with anger. "I wish I could fight the bastards that took her."

"You're not the only one." I walk back to the table and turn Ciara's head slightly, checking to see if there are any injuries there. "But it looks like she beat all of us to it." Pride swells up inside me. "She fought hard and won, that's all anyone could ask of her." I crack my knuckles and pull bandages, ambrosia and nectar, some painkillers, and a syringe with a sedative in it from my medical kit. Lastly, I pull out sterile cloths, gauze, and a strong antiseptic that doubles as an anti-venom medicine.

Will stands next to the table. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

I glance up at him, frowning. "No, just leave this to me. The more people working on her, the higher the risk of infection." I dab some antiseptic onto a cloth and pass it over the burns on her arms. Then, I stop. "Actually, if you could get a pot of warm water, that would help. I need to clean the blood off, and it might help to seal up her wounds." _Assuming that her body is capable of absorbing the water right now._

Will wastes no time in heading for the cupboards, rummaging through them as Kai comes walking back in, his clothes changed, a pillow in one hand, and a pile of clothes in his arms. "And you're looking through my kitchen because..."

"Will glares sourly over his shoulder at Kai. "I'm looking for a pot to put warm water in."

Kai blinks calmly. "Third cupboard on the right, second shelf." Then, he turns to me. "I've got the pillow, plus some clothes that might fit you three. I went through some of Nico's old stuff too. His husband's a bit of a pack rat, so there's a lot of old clothes here."

"Thanks." It'll be nice to get into some clean clothes. Traipsing through a marsh was hardly my idea of a fun field trip, and we got more than a little dirty trekking through that place.

The tap starts running, and the echo of water hitting metal fills the room. Though, with the pillow that Kai brought, I elevate Ciara's head, making the unnaturally pale color of her skin stand out in stark contrast to the dark blue of the pillow. It's alarming, to say the least, since I'm used to seeing her with as much of a tan as Percy. For a girl who gets as much sun as she does, she should not look this washed out.

Will heaves the pot of water over to the table, placing ti by Ciara's feet. "Anything else?"

I shake my head. "No, that's all. Now you two need to leave the room." I frown at the pile of clothes. "Is there anything in there that would fit her?"

With a slight nod, Kai pulls a dark pair of jeans and a black t-shirt from the pile. "They're from before my last growth spurt, so they should fit her better than Nico's stuff."

"Thanks." I take the clothes and put them next to the pot. "Alright, now you two really need to leave the room. I'll call you back in when I'm done." I wave my hand at them. "Shoo. I'm not undressing her until you two can't see her."

Kai's face turns stony, and he turns immediately, walking out of the room without a hint of hesitation. I blink in confusion, but Will just shrugs and follows Kai out of the room. _Jeez...what's with those two?_ I shake my head with a sigh. "Whatever..."

Since her clothes are already wrecked, I'm pretty sure that Ciara will forgive me for cutting her shirt off. The material, which I think used to be some shade of green or blue, peels sickeningly slowly from her skin, revealing far too much half dried blood. So, starting with her arms, I run damp cloths over her skin, coming away each time with pliable flakes of blood, and drops of blood falling to the table, before running off the edges.

Fortunately, with every wet swipe of the cloths across her skin, some of the smaller cuts seem to be knitting themselves together, and the rainbow-like patchwork of bruises starts to darken and fade a little. So I reach into my medical kit and pull out a lightly refrigerated sac of red liquid, setting it on the table next to her head. "Well...you just love being a full-on medical emergency, don't you?" _To think that I have to use my emergency blood transfusion..._

This is going to be a long healing session.

* * *

Kai's P.O.V.

This is one of those times that I'm glad that I don't have a clock in this place, not that a clock would be all that much use in a place like this. But if I did have a clock, I'm pretty sure that it would be slowly driving me crazy by now. I would be sitting here, listening to the ticking of the hands, every second stretching on and on.

As it is, I'm here, sitting in the hallway outside of the kitchen, with Will standing on the other side of the archway. There's a slightly humming coming from inside the kitchen, which I assume is Sam. And now, I can believe that he's bad at singing. It sounds like he's tone deaf, and all he's doing is humming. _Ugh... Please... Apollo... Make it stop. Your kid can't sing to save his life!_

But, nothing happens, leaving me to find another way to entertain myself. Preferably, one that doesn't involve talking to-

"So, you said that you've got dual citizenship?" _Of course..._ Will's voice is fairly quiet, but still very easy to hear in the utter silence of the hallway.

"Yes." I clench my fists, reminding myself to breathe evenly. _Don't let your anger issues get the best of you. That's what Nico always says..._

"So, England, right? You sound like it. Well, when you get mad, anyway." Will fidgets, and it's obvious that he's trying to fill the silence. That, or his curiosity is finally getting the better of him. Of course, there's always the possibility that he's looking for blackmail material.

So, if he wants to ask questions, I'll just keep my answers simple. "Yes."

He shifts his weight a bit. "How'd you end up at camp?"

I glare over my shoulder at him. "Why do you want to know?"

"Dunno." He shrugs. "There's nothing for us to do, I'm ADHD and bored, and I hate silence."

"You're in the Underworld right now, you should probably get used to the silence." This is the only place in the world that I can actually stop and think without having to listen to other people. Even my cabin gets noisy some days.

"What's with you?" Will walks over, standing in front of me and looking down at me. "Just a little while ago, you were perfectly happy to talk our ears off. What's changed?"

I resist the urge to twitch. "What's changed is that I no longer need to give directions or warnings. So, with that in mind, I don't really want to talk to you."

His eyes narrow at me, definitely judging me. "You've been a quiet, creepy loner for years. Then, all of a sudden, Percy's daughter shows up at camp, and you're Mr. Social. Why? I heard about your first meeting in the arena when Di Angelo and Solace were talking about it. If she pissed you off that bad, how did you end up letting her hang around you for so long?"

His questions are getting more irritating by the second, and I really don't feel like answering them. "That's none of your business."

"I was serious, you know." He crosses his arms, his aura of superiority finally returning. "Percy asked me to keep an eye on her in camp, make sure she didn't get herself into any more trouble. Because from what I can tell, she's gotten into the most trouble being around you."

And that attack stings a little. I push myself to my feet, ignoring the fact that he's got a few inches on me. "If you were supposed to be making sure that she didn't get into any trouble, then why is it that Sam was the one on patrol with her?" I grit my teeth angrily. "What if it had been you? Do you really think you could have prevented this?"

Will seems to think that I hit below the belt. "You think you could do any better? You've never beaten me in a fight, so get off your high horse."

"Why don't you get off yours!?" I grab his collar and pull him down to my eye level. "At least I've done something. I don't even know what your game is. But whatever it is, you had better keep her out of it, otherwise it'll be your ass that I take on next!"

"Oh yeah!?" Will raises his hand, but before he can do anything with it, there's a loud cough five feet away.

Both of us turn our heads towards the disturbance, to see Sam standing there with his arms crossed, a few splatters of blood on his face and shirt. "Are you two finished? Because you're acting like a couple of little kids fighting over a toy." His bright blue eyes almost glow, despite the relative darkness of the house. "Seriously, you two are supposed to be these powerful, respectable warriors, and you're acting like a couple of brats. Now come on!" He grabs Will by the ear, which I have never seen anyone do before, and drags him back int the kitchen.

"Ow! Let go of me!" Will struggles, trying to loosen Sam's grip on his ear. But the healer's hand refuses to be brushed off.

Sam pauses a moment to stare at me. "Do I need to drag you as well?"

I move silently, not answering the question, but not giving him a chance to decide that he wants to drag me by the ear anyway. I follow Sam back into the kitchen, and see Ciara lying there in my old clothes, bandages peeking out from underneath the dark colors. They're a bit big on her, but not overly so. _I guess it's a good thing that I was too lazy to throw out my old stuff._

But there's still something wrong. "Wait...what's wrong with her?" Will frowns, forgetting that Sam still has hold of his ear. "Shouldn't she be waking up soon?"

Sam releases Will's ear and steps towards Ciara. "Normally, yes. I used quite a bit of healing power, and the water sealed up a lot of her cuts, and reduced the swelling of her bruises. But..." And here, his face twists in irritation, frustration, worry, and a hint of pain. "Even after giving her a transfusion, she hasn't regained consciousness. I don't know what's wrong with her. I just know that despite the healing, something is going very, very wrong."

"What!?" For the second time today, my blood feels like ice in my veins. _No..._ My eyes find her still form, and my eyesight blurs a little, colors muting and receding in favor of a certain brightness around her. To my left, there's a lot more brightness. I turn my head to see that the brightness is focused around Will and Sam. _What...?_

My eyes snap back to Ciara's whose glow is like a thin shell around her. _Is this...?_ I approach her, stopping only once I'm within touching distance of her hand. _Is it her life energy? But why is it so faint?_ I can feel the energy, just barely, and it does feel a lot weaker than it did earlier. Her injuries may look better, but her life energy seems to be losing a race against time. Her aura is fading away.

"Damn it!" My fist hits the table so hard that I'd be surprised if there are no cracks in it, or in my bones. "Why is this happening...?"

"Kai, what's going on?" Sam walks to the other side of the table, looking down at Ciara. "Why does it feel like she's fading away?"

I grit my teeth, my fingers twitching towards her hand. "Because she is. Her aura is almost gone. Her spirit is barely tethered to her body."

"What!? How?" Will stands next to Sam, closer to Ciara's feet. "I thought you healed her."

"I did, but..." Sam shakes his head. "I don't know what's happening now."

I watch as little pieces of the light around her dissolve into the air. "It's the energy that keeps a person alive. her's is literally disappearing into thin air. If it isn't stopped, she's going to die."

Will's eyes widen in alarm. "Okay, then how do we stop it?"

"I..." I shake my head. "I don't know."

Sam's face falls, and he clutches at the edge of the table. "There has to be a clue somewhere. There's no way we would be sent by the Oracle if we didn't have a chance of succeeding."

Will seems to squish down his panic, and breathes in and out deeply. "Okay...let's go over the prophecy again." He looks me directly in the eyes. "Recite the first two lines."

While part of me wants to tell him to shove it, I resist the burning urge to do so. "Rivals venture underground, to an army nearly drowned."

Will nods. "Alright, so the first two lines have definitely been dealt with. We're here, we're underground, and we definitely found the drowned army."

Sam snickers quietly. "Yeah, no kidding. She probably gave them quite the run for their money."

"Run for their money?" I think on the next two lines. "Enemies appear to join the race, for the sea lying in death's embrace."

"Well, she's certainly in death's embrace right now." Sam frowns. "But...what if she really did give them a run for their money?"

Will seems to share in my confusion. "Explain that."

"Well..." Sam points to Ciara's legs. "She's got a lot of damaged muscles in her legs, so I think that she did a lot of running. And when she got snatched, the only monster there was the manticore. There was no sign of any of the other monsters that we found near the river. So I was thinking...maybe she tried to outrun them?"

Suddenly, another piece clicks into place. "Of course...this is where most of the monsters hang out, though usually they don't manage to get out of Tartarus." I should have seen it earlier. "Okay...then what about the next line? The sun in the sky, resolving strife. Could that refer to a cure?"

The three of us are silent as we ponder the question. That is, until Sam shakes his head. "Actually...I don't think so."

"Well, then what do you think it means?" I could swear that Will's voice cracks for a second. But maybe that's just my imagination.

Sam smiles slightly. "I think...that the answer to that one is simple. I'm a child of Apollo, god of the sun." He laughs wryly. "And I'm the one who has been resolving all our 'strife' by breaking up your silly fights."

The two of us are silent, but judging by the way Will catches my eye, he's agreeing that it makes a lot of sense. And while I'd rather not admit it, the two of us have been fighting like children since we left. It's been a waste of time and energy, and yet, we can't seem to stop unless we're absolutely focused on something.

Sam breaks the silence again. "But there's one last line that might help." Confusion settles back on his face. "And child of darkness with the breath of life. If Ciara's life is being snuffed out, then maybe that's our cure. A child of darkness."

"Darkness...darkness..." Will pinches the bridge of his nose. "That could be...Nyx? Or maybe Erebus? Do they have any children that could fit that description?"

Sam taps his fingers on the table, his eyes drifting across the room, and finally settling on me. "Wait a minute, didn't Athena talk to you about something to do with the prophecy?"

I've been trying not to think about it, but heat races through my cheeks at the mention of the goddess of wisdom. Or rather, at her words. "Yeah..." My eyes wander down to Ciara's face, Athena's words ringing in my head.

 _'By the end of this quest, you may have to do something that you will very much regret, child of darkness.'_

There's an uncomfortable shifting in my stomach, almost like indigestion. Sam reaches across the table to grab my hand. "Hey, you okay!? You look like you're going to be sick."

"I-I'm fine." _Damn it, I don't stutter._ "I just...remembered what she said to me back on Olympus..."

"So, are you going to share?" Will crosses his arms. "We're on a deadline, if you haven't noticed."

 _You think I haven't?_ I take in a breath, remembering the last time I tried something this stupid. "I...have an idea. But whatever happens, you two need to swear that no word of what I'm about to do is going to pass your lips, got it?" I glare at the two of them, hoping to frighten them into submission.

Will nods, and Sam grins. "Okay."

"On the Styx." I can't take any chances. Plus, if Nico finds out, he'll kill me himself.

That catches their attention. And Sam is the first to respond. "I swear on the Styx that I won't reveal what you are about to do to anyone."

Will looks uncertain, even suspicious. Then, his gaze catches mine, and his softens. "Fine. On the Styx, no one will hear about this. But what is this, anyway?"

I slide towards Ciara's head, looking down at her pale face. "I...I lost my mother when I was a kid. That's not exactly a secret...I just don't tell anyone." I swallow nervously. "But what remains a secret is what I did...tried to do after the accident. It didn't work back then, she was already gone, and I wasn't strong enough, but...it's how I found out I was a demigod." That's more secret truths spilled in one breath than I've ever revealed before. I breathe in slowly, a wisp of silvery mist escaping my lips when I breathe back out.

Sam's eyes widen. "What was that?"

"It's that 'breath of life' that the prophecy talks about, isn't it?" Will scrutinizes me, and I can feel his eyes burning into my head. "How does it work?"

"Like this." I run my fingers over Ciara's cheek, trying to work up the nerve to do this, even though Nico warned me a long time ago never to do it again. _It's now or never._ I inhale sharply, letting my fingers gently open Ciara's mouth, before pressing my lips down and exhaling a lungful of silver mist straight into her lungs. _Soft..._

Once all of the air in my lungs has been exhaled, I lift my head up, feeling a wave of lethargy take over me. I breathe in, pressing my hands to the table on either side of Ciara's head, steadying myself. To my eyes, the glow around Ciara has grown, but it still looks far too weak and fragile. _Again._ I inhale once more, pressing my lips back to hers, exhaling another lungful of power. _She saved my life...now it's my turn to save hers._

This time, when I pull back, the world spinning for a moment while I find my balance again, I don't fail to notice a slight twitch to her fingers. _It's...working._ But still, the glow isn't strong enough, she's not strong enough to survive yet. I breathe in again, only for a hand to press into my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks.

I look up to see Sam's wide, panicked eyes. "Kai, what's happening to you?" Even Will looks a little shell-shocked, though that might have more to do with my actions than the state of me.

"I'm fine." It's a lie, but I brush his hand off, leaning back over Ciara one last time. "Just one more, then she'll be okay." The silver mist emerges once more, traveling down her throat and into her lungs, where her blood can absorb it and pump it through her body, just like air.

This time, when I pull away from her, the whole world spins, and my knees refuse to support me, dropping me harshly on the cold stone floor. _That's it...she's safe...and I can't give her any more, or it'll..._ My head throbs, and I press my left hand to my temple.

"Kai!" I can hear Sam's voice, but it sounds distant and distorted. "Kai! What's happening!? Kai! KAI!" His voice reverberates like an echo, growing dimmer and dimmer by the second.

But I can feel her energy, it's vibrant and alive now. It's warm and bright, even in the darkness.

And there is so much darkness...


	33. Is It Life or Death?

**I must admit that I was not expecting the first four words of that last chapter's first review to be "NO DON'T KILL HIM" (thank you, Queen of Ice). Though I am amused by how you might jump to that conclusion. Don't worry, though, I have no plans to kill Kai.** **That doesn't mean that I don't have some torture in store for all of them in the future. Thing is, that'll have to wait a bit.**

 **Oh, and to answer another review, no Kai will not be singing to get them back out of the Underworld, you only need to sing to get in. Plus, if he were to sing in front of Ciara, she would probably never leave him alone, ever.**

 **Now, I did get a review I found rather interesting. A guest read into chapter 2 (yes, chapter 2, so not very far AT ALL) and said that this was another 'perfect daughter of Percy and Annabeth' fic.**

 **Well...between the unstable powers, the violent panic attacks (that include outbursts of power and hyperventilation), the getting kidnapped while on patrol, nearly dying in the battle, and nearly killing herself in the escape attempt (because she thought it would be a wonderful idea to use water from the Styx), only to then end up left for dead (until the boys came along) in the Underworld...I would hardly call her perfect.**

 **I think that the lesson is not to judge the characters based on the two shortest chapters. But, on the bright side, the reviews are working again.**

 **This chapter is a bit shorter, and I'm sorry about that. But, I've got a surprise for you all next chapter to make up for it. I hope you like it.**

* * *

Sam's P.O.V.

It's been half a day since Kai collapsed. When he first fell to the floor, I thought for sure that he'd killed himself with what he did. He didn't, but it was pretty close. He's been asleep ever since, but I plan on interrogating him about that power of his as soon as he wakes up. Because whatever he did worked, but with side-effects like this, I need to know exactly how much he's put his life at risk today.

 _Breath of life, my ass. I'm wringing answers out of him one way or another._ I hate it when my patients don't tell me everything I need to know. And I would think that the side-effects of some healing power that I've never seen before would count as information I need to know. _Scratch that, he's not the only one I need to talk to about reckless use of healing powers._ After this incident, I just might need to have a serious talk with Ciara again. Or, just drag both of them in front of my brother and let him chew them out.

I check Ciara's vitals once more, and they're as steady as ever. The color is returning to her face, she feels warm, her breaths are no longer shallow, and she's sleeping peacefully. Her wounds still need healing, but a little ambrosia and nectar should fix her right up once she wakes up.

 _Now...I have another patient who needs some looking after._

I pick myself up and walk out of, what Will and I decided is probably a guest room, and down the hall to the master bedroom. I figured that it would probably be a good idea to treat them separately, since if one of them woke up to the two of them being tucked into bed together, we might have a bit more explaining to do that I want to deal with.

Pushing open the heavy ebony door, I walk into Kai's room, where's he's tucked into bed with about ninety percent of the blankets in the house. When he collapsed, his temperature dropped. And while I have no idea if a child of Hades can go into shock due to hypothermia, I would rather not find that out the hard way.

There are so many questions that I have to ask my big brother when we get back to camp. And I know already what three demigods I'll be focusing my questions on. The three cabins who seem to get themselves into the most trouble on a regular basis. It'll be a nice change from learning how to treat the very repetitive injuries seen in the Ares Cabin.

I sit on the bed, right next to Kai, and hold my hand to his forehead. _Good...his temperature is coming up. He's still a bit cool, but I think that's just a Hades thing._ I press my fingers to his neck, and while his pulse is a bit sluggish, it's doing much better than the snail's pace it was at earlier. _Well, he's recovering quickly, that's good._ Though that doesn't change the fact that if he'd spent any longer healing Ciara, he definitely wouldn't be breathing right now.

A twitch in his face catches my attention. "Huh, guess he's waking up." _Now I can ask him what the hell he just pulled._

"He up?" I look up to see Will standing in the doorway, his arms crossed. "He's got some explaining to do."

"Yeah..." I tap Kai's cheek lightly. "Come on, Kai, get up."

He groans quietly, shifting in a state of half sleep. And from the movement of his eyes, I'd say that he's dropping out of deep sleep right about now. His face contorts into a frown as he rolls onto his side, pulling all of the blankets with him. "Hot..."

"Well, looks like the grump is half-conscious." Will walks over and starts pulling blankets off of Kai. "Alright, get up!" He clearly doesn't know anything about bedside manner, or the right way to wake up a patient after treatment.

I roll my eyes and carefully untangle Kai from the chaotic whorl of blankets. "Be gentle with him, he's obviously not feeling well." Though I'm rather impressed that he managed to tangle himself up like he's in the middle of a hurricane. He's barely moved at all, but he looks like a twisted up ball of spaghetti. Maybe Nico's Italian heritage is rubbing off on him in all the weirdest ways.

"He's not a delicate little kid, he's a demigod, quit worrying." Will yanks the blankets away, nearly sending Kai tumbling onto the floor. In fact, Kai would have fallen on his face, had he not chosen that moment to finally wake up, and roll across the hard floor and into a semi-kneeling position. And he is clearly not very happy about that.

He rubs his right eyes, while glaring at us with the other. "The hell was that for?" I'd forgotten for a minute that he's not a morning person. Notoriously so, if Nico's stories are to be believed. Though it would certainly explain the small piles of bones that we sometimes find lying around the camp.

Will scoffs and rolls his eyes. "I don't think that you're in any position to be asking questions. Especially not with what you pulled."

Kai's eyes narrow. "And what's that supposed to mean?" He still looks pretty tired, and his skin has a distinct greyish tinge to it, but apart from that, he certainly looks awake and alert.

Will walks over, dropping the blankets and standing over Kai. "What did you do?"

"What do you mean?" Kai's eyes narrow, as though in challenge.

And Will is not looking to play games with him. "You know perfectly well what I mean. What did you do to Ciara, and why did it nearly kill you?"

Kai's eyes widen, then snap to me. "Where is she? Did it work? Is she-"

I hold up my hand for silence, something I've seen Dad do several times. "She's fine. She's asleep right now. Whatever you did to her, it worked. The blood transfusion worked as well, and as soon as she's awake, I'll be giving her some nectar and ambrosia." I reach for my bag, pulling out a canteen. "Speaking of nectar, here." I toss him the canteen. "Right now, you need that more than she does."

He accepts the canteen easily, uncapping it quickly and pouring about half of it down his throat. If he was cold before, he's definitely not cold now. That was no small amount of nectar, so it should be heating his body up considerably. "At least it worked..."

"Yes, it did." I take the canteen back when he holds it out, tucking it back into my bag. "And now, I want to know what you did. The prophecy called that the 'breath of life', but from where I was standing, that's not what it looked like."

Kai looks from me to Will, then back again. "Not exactly...no."

"Then spill." Will looks very unamused. "Don't avoid the question. What was that power, and what did it do? To both you and her."

I try for a look of stern disapproval, one that I've seen my big brother use whenever patients are being stubborn. It has the power to out-stubborn even the most stubborn patients. He would know, since it's what he used to out-stubborn Nico. Or so he told me when I asked about how the two of them got together. _Maybe I should ask him to tell me the story again when we get back._

It looks like Kai knows what my game is, because he sighs and gives up early. "I'm not exactly sure why I can do it or how it works. Nico never really explained it to me. And actually, I don't even know if he knows how it works, either." He holds up his hands, gesturing in a circle. "What I do know is that it's got to do with the cycle of life and death. I can...influence it in very close proximity to someone, using myself as the second half of the cycle."

I let that sink in for a minute, drawing on everything that I know about the healing practices of the Apollo Cabin. "So...life energy, right? You can control its flow?"

"A little." He frowns, gesturing from the area around his heart, and up towards his mouth. "That silver mist that I was breathing out was that energy. It's hard to control outside of the body, which is why I need close proximity for it to work. At least...I think that's it."

"Which is why you had to kiss her, right?" Will shakes his head. "That seems a little too good to be true. Fix everything with a kiss, right?"

"Will..." I shoot him my disapproving look, which shuts him up quickly. _I really need to get my brother to teach me more about keeping people from arguing. This is a miracle._ I turn back to Kai. "Where does the energy come from?"

Kai's eyes grow icy cold in an instant. "Does it matter?"

"Yes, it does." If I back down now, these two will know that they can walk all over me in the future. "I'm a healer, and I need to know if I'm right." And here goes my theory. "Did you, or did you not breathe your own life energy into Ciara?"

Instead of his eyes, this time, it's Kai's whole body that freezes. "How-" He bites his lip and quiets down. "Yes."

And there's the answer to the million dollar question, as well as another reason to keep an eye on him while he recovers. But, now that he's awake, we should start making plans for getting back to camp.

"Well, it's good to see that the three of you are still alive." All three of us turn our heads towards the corner of the room, where an image of Nico hangs in the air. "Considering how long you've been gone, does this mean that you've found her?"

I nod slowly. "We have her, but she's asleep right now. It was a pretty close call, but we managed not to lose her." My eyes flick to Kai. "Although, one of us was a little reckless in attempting to save her."

Nico's eyes find eye, then narrow slightly. "You look half-dead. What did you do?"

Kai glares irritably at his older brother. "What I failed to do for Mom."

Nico's jaw tightens, worry flickering through his gaze. "I see. You and I need to have a serious talk about that later. While I'm grateful that you saved my goddaughter, I'd rather not have you almost kill yourself doing it. That tendency to go to the extremes is going to get you killed someday."

"And your tendency to hold grudges is going to give you a stress-induced heart attack." Kai snaps back, his angsty rebelliousness starting to show again.

Brown eyes soften slightly. "Well, I'll let Percy and Annabeth know. They've been running around talking to every god and nature spirit they could contact this whole week."

"A week!?" I know that time runs differently in mortal places versus non-mortal places, but I didn't think that we'd been gone that long. "Okay, damn, I didn't think we were gone that long." I turn to Will and Kai. "I know that it's probably not the best time, but we had better get ready to leave."

Nico nods approvingly through the Iris message. "Let me know when you get out of the marsh, I can send a car for you."

"Thanks..." Kai sighs, leaning back against the side of the bed. "We'll see you soon, big brother."

The elder of the sons of Hades smiles gently, before waving his hand through the message and disappearing into the darkness. And I could swear by the Styx that he actually looked proud for a second there. _Jeez...these two are so weird. I think I need to ask my brother for a dictionary, specifically one that translates 'Son of Hades' into English._

Without any prompting, Kai gets to his feet and heads straight for his closet. "I'm going to get changed. You two get Ciara and get ready to leave. We'll need to walk back to the Door of Orpheus and go back out that way."

"Alright." I pack the nectar back into my bag. "Do we need to open it from this side as well?"

In the middle of pulling his shirt off, Kai shakes his head. "No, you only need to open it from the outside. It locks from the inside. Getting out of the Underworld isn't nearly as hard as people seem to think it is. It's getting in that's the hard part, and we've already accomplished that."

"Okay." I zip my bag up and snap the buckles closed, before swinging it onto my back. "Are you going to be okay to travel?"

He nods again, pulling on a jacket over the new shirt. "Thanks to the nectar, I might even be able to warp us most of the way to the exit."

While that sounds like a good thing, it also worries me a little. "Don't push yourself too hard. This is a rescue mission, not a suicide mission. It'll mean a lot less if we lose someone before we get home."

He pauses, looking at me with those clear gray eyes. "I guess you have a point..." He looks like he wants to say more, but he stays silent.

"Hey, I've got her, so let's go." Will appears in the doorway, Ciara huddled on his back. "I'll carry her until she wakes up. Though she might stay asleep until we get back, so di Angelo had better send that car."

"He will." Kai straightens out his jacket, before grabbing onto my arm and pulling me over towards Will and Ciara. "Hold on and don't puke." A slight grin curls his lips as he snatches up Will's arm, hurling us once more into physics-defying darkness.

We whirl back into existence in a familiarly dark place. _Ah...we're back in the tunnel._ And judging by the incline, we're maybe half a kilometer from the hole we made in the marsh. And the only reason I know which way the exit is in this place is because ahead of us, the path goes up. _I sure hope that we don't end up with a boulder coming down the tunnel towards us. That would be so cliche, and would probably kill us all._

But instead of letting me worry about things that might never happen, Kai's knees buckle next to me, and he nearly hits the dirt again. Luckily, he's close enough that I can catch him, and just barely keep my balance while I haul an arm over my shoulders to keep him upright. "Easy there, I've got you. Just lean on me and we'll be out of here in no time."

He glares at me slightly, his brain and pride seemingly at war with each other. "Fine, but if you touch my ass, you're not leaving this place."

That makes me laugh. _Ah...I'm sure that Eran wouldn't have said that..._ Though all my laughter does is give me an irate son of Hades and an annoyed son of Zeus to contend with.

 _This is going to be a long walk..._


	34. Rebirth, Recovery, and Retreat

**Okay, so if you paid attention to the Author's Note in the last chapter, then you'll know that I've got a surprise for you this chapter...so get ready for a bombshell. I've been hanging onto this idea for a while, just waiting to put it in here. I'm expecting some mixed reactions to it (since I'm quite aware that it's impossible to please everyone), but I'm hoping that you'll give me a little leeway.**

 **By the way, I've had the last couple and next couple of chapters planned out for a while, hence why I'm writing them so quickly. Now, I'll be in class for the rest of the afternoon, I'll see you all again tomorrow.**

* * *

Ciara's P.O.V. (dream)

'Wake up…'

Everything around me feels cold, dark, empty. It's hard to explain, and hard to describe.

'Wake up…'

The voice seems familiar, but I don't know why.

'Please…wake up.'

With great effort, I open my eyes, only to come face to face with nothing but darkness. I look around, seeing nothing, but the feeling of being watched persists.

"Behind you."

I jump to my feet and whirl around, coming face to face with a girl not much older than me. Dark hair and eyes, and tanned olive skin. All of it reminds me of Nico, but not quite like Nico. Dressed in a silver parka and jeans, with a silver bow and quiver of arrows on her back, she almost shines in the darkness.

I tilt my head, trying to place her face. "Who…are you?"

She walks towards me, gently taking my hands in hers. "I'm you. Sort of…" She laughs softly. "What I mean is…it took me longer than I expected to be reborn. I spent years with my soul floating in limbo, waiting to be placed into a new form by the Fates. I never lost my own memories, the part of me that remembers is still here, but the part of me that doesn't is you. I am me, and you are you, but you are also me, and I am also you. I am my own person, just as you are your own person. But we are also the same person. And although I wasn't able to live it for very long, you are becoming the person that I always wanted to be."

I look into her eyes, still rather confused by the twisted up explanation. "So…a reborn soul? I…you're my past life? I'm the new you?"

She nods, smiling sweetly. "New and improved, if I do say so myself. You're much braver than I was, though much more stubborn too. I was always a shy kid, but I guess that's just because I was born a century ago. It was a different time, a different way of life. But that's not the important thing. What's important is that I'm here to help you."

"Help me?" I feel utterly bewildered by her notion of a rescue. "Help me with what? And how? If I'm you, then how can you help me?"

Her gaze grows urgent and she squeezes my hands. "You need to wake up. You were taken to the Underworld, that's why I could manifest like this. It's where I would have held the most power when I was alive. Your friends have come here to save you, and they're on their way out of the Underworld now. So this was my one chance to talk to you. If you don't wake up, nothing will save you."

"My friends?" The last thing I remember was being dragged into the Underworld. "But I was dragged down here by myself, none of my friends were there with me when the manticore attacked. I made sure that Sam got away!" The idea that I failed pulses chillingly through me, like liquid ice in my veins.

She smiles painfully. "They've come for you, three of them. One of them, Kai, I think, he gave you his life energy to replace what you'd lost." _He did what!?_ "His energy helped me to surface, but just for a little while. And I'm sorry, but this is all the time I have. I'm about to disappear back into the deepest parts of your soul, and I don't think I'll be able to speak to you again. At least, not for a long time." She looks a little sad. "Can you do something for me?"

"Okay." If she's gone this far for me, then I guess it only makes sense that I do something for her too. "Name it."

She smiles as her form begins to fade. "Tell Nico this…"

The words, almost inaudible, flow through my mind like a soft breeze. There, and then not, waiting for me to see everyone again before I utter them. But that can wait until I wake up.

And when I wake up, those boys are getting an earful.

* * *

Will's P.O.V.

With the end in sight, we climb back out of the Door of Orpheus, coming back out in the marsh. Luckily, none of those nymphs are anywhere to be seen, though that's probably because we've got a girl with us this time. We won't be so easy to distract now that we've got her back.

Sam lets go of Kai, who wobbles slightly, then rummages in his pack, pulling out a compass and a map. "Alright...let's see." His eyes glaze over a little as he looks at the map. "Okay, so it looks like there's a service road not too far from here. It's just a couple of kilometers. If we can get there, we might be able to find some wildlife officers."

I nod tiredly. "That's probably a good idea." Especially seeing as Death Breath is definitely in no shape to be dragging us through any shadows.

"No, we just need to find a stream..." Kai lifts his head up slowly, finally starting to regain his balance. "If we find a stream near the road, I'll call Nico and have him send the car."

"Alright..." I turn to Sam and gesture to the map. "Lead the way. The sooner we get out of this place, the better."

Sam nods, then turn off to the left. "This way. It'll take a little while to get through the marsh, but once we find the road, we're in the clear. It cuts right through this area, so it'll be impossible to miss, as long as we keep going straight."

It sounds pretty simple, but looking at the twisted, soaking wet terrain in front of us, I'm not so sure that it's really going to be that simple. _I just hope that we don't end up sinking into the mud...because I really don't want to ask those nymphs for help._ They would probably drown us, sooner than help us.

Sam takes the lead, sticking to the hardest bits of ground, and large tree roots where the ground gives way to marsh and mud. Luckily, since he's the pathfinder, and Death Breath is slow, I have all the time I need to make sure that I take safe steps. It'll take longer this way, but it's a lot safer than trying to hurry through the marsh, only to get caught in the wetland version of quicksand.

An hour and several twists and turns, and a few detours later, the marsh levels out, and the ground becomes significantly harder. Sam jumps up and down, testing the ground. "Okay, it looks like the hard part is over."

"Don't you mean it's just started?" Death Breath pants a little, leaning back against a tree, letting the shadow fall over him. And it takes me a few moments to realize that he's actually cracked a joke.

"Pfft. Maybe." Sam smile, shaking his head. "Let's save the jokes for later, though. Like at the campfire. I hope you've got some good material!"

That pale face whitens further. "Oh no, you are not dragging me to one of those circuses. I absolutely refuse to pretend to be a comedian for the rest of the camp!"

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Sam laughs without a care in the world. "And you've got to sing too, got it? Everyone needs to hear you. You have the voice of a muse! Or at least good enough to fool people into thinking you're an Apollo camper."

"Right, when the Fields of Punishment freeze over." I'd figured that it was going to take a lot more than that to convince the camp recluse to perform in front of people, though I'm impressed that he didn't include any swears when he turned Sam down. _Who knows, though...with that attitude, he might give in sooner or later. And it'll be entertaining when he does._

I look off through the sparse trees, spotting a winding sandy line. "Well, looks like we found the road." I nod my head past a small stream, towards the road through the trees.

"Really?" Sam turns around to peer through the trees. "We're almost there!" He skips towards the stream, a smile all over his face. Then, a deafening rumble echoes through the marsh.

I should have known that things wouldn't go that smoothly. Things never go this well for demigods on a quest.

The ground shakes several times, a rumble like a parade of giant feet. The trees shake, leaves scattering as the fall from the branches. _Oh...you have got to be kidding me. What now!?_ When the trees bend over and snap, I really wish I hadn't asked. On the other side of the stream, stumbling through the forest, are three twelve foot tall cannibal giants. Lastrygonians.

Sam curses quietly. "Shit! I forgot, we're close to the Canadian border. There's groups of giants who live in the forested areas in Ontario and Quebec." Considering that he was the one holding the map, he should have been the one most conscious of the geography.

The lastrygonians lumber towards us, and I shift nervously. "Uh…are we screwed now?" I'm carrying Ciara, who hasn't woken up since we were in Death Breath's place in the Underworld.

And the other two aren't looking so hot. Sam is obviously tired from all the healing he's had to do. And Death Breath, though maybe I should start calling him Life Breath, is trying vainly to act stronger than he is. He's still tired and pale from that energy transfer, the Shadow Travel, and then all of the hiking. He looks absolutely wrecked, even though he seems determined not to show it.

Then there's the annoying feeling deep in my gut that tells me to just leave Death Breth here and try to book it out of the marsh. I know that I shouldn't be mad at the ass for kissing her, I'm no idiot, I know that it's something he had to do to save her. Because although I don't like it, we had no other options, not until he offered up that one. _No wonder he had us swear on the Styx not to tell anybody..._ And that's not to mention the hiking that we've had to do to get to the closest road.

But now, that leaves us with one unconscious legacy, and two demigods too tired to fight. I'm the only one in any shape to go into battle, and I don't know if I can protect all of them at once.

Sam backs up, holding his bow at the ready and reaching for an arrow. "Will, get Ciara out of here. Kai, you too. I've got some sonic arrows that should put these guys down."

"Are you stupid?" I stare at this idiotic son of Apollo. "There's no way you can take them alone."

He nocks the arrow and aims it at the first giant's face. "Then hurry and go, I'll be right behind y-"

The stream. As soon as the giants move to step through the stream, water gushes up in a huge geyser, swallowing them whole. It's random and crazy, and I have no idea what the Hades just happened. It's like nature itself decided to turn on them, and turn them into soup.

That is, until I notice one small fist clenching my shirt, its twin stretched out past my face. Harsh breathing touches my ear, a labored, panting breath. The hand in my field of view moves a little, fingers twitching.

As if responding, the water wrapped around the giants writhes and starts pulling in different directions. The giants look like they're on a rack, being stretched by a torturer. Then, the hand clenches into a fist, and the water explodes in a rain of clear drops and bits of monster blood and dust. The fight we were dreading so much is over in an instant.

"Ciara…?" I glance over my shoulder, shifting her slightly. And greeting me is a pair of tired, angry green eyes. Right now, they look identical to Percy's before we left on the rescue mission. Venomous, resentful, and all around not very happy to be awake.

"Never…try to…hurt my friends…again…" It might be a little redundant for her to say that, since she just ripped apart the giants who were about to do just that, but I'm not going to be the one to point it out. She's probably a little delirious, so there's no point in picking on her for saying weird things. Besides, she just saved our asses, so I'll give her as much of a break as she needs right now.

Sam's eyes widen as he catches sight of her motion. "Ciara!"

Death Breath's eyes turn on her as well, those gray eyes that I associate with nothing but someone that I need to beat in anything and everything. But it's like he doesn't even see me, he only sees her. And infuriatingly, his eyes soften at the sight of her, no longer as hard and cold as before, when he was ready for a pitched battle.

But as quickly as her lucid and half conscious state came, it disappears again as her arm drops and her grip loosens, forcing me to balance her again. "Jeez…this girl is something else."

Sam pokes at her over my shoulder. "Did she seriously just wake up to save our butts, then fall right back asleep?"

"Looks like it." I chuckle a little. "But somehow, that doesn't surprise me. I heard a story a few years back about how Percy did that when he was nineteen. Something about the Seven going on a cruise with their friends, and a sea monster attacking while Percy was napping. He sensed it, woke up, fought, then fell right back asleep like nothing happened."

"Seriously…?" Death Breath gets close enough to see Ciara's sleeping face. "Actually…that's not much of a surprise. I've heard weirder stories from my brother. And trust me, there's nothing weirder than sitting down and listening to Nico's stories during a winter campfire. He knows all the dirt and spares no detail."

"Wait, so you'll go to the winter campfires, but not the summer ones?" Sam pouts a little.

Death Breath shrugs. "Less people around. Plus, that's when we tell most of the ghost stories, and some of the older campers talk about what they did when they were our age."

"Aw...no fair..." Sam finishes poking and prodding Ciara, who hasn't woken back up. "Well, honestly…she says that she got her mom's brains, but she acts so much like Percy that it's hard to believe she's not a mini female clone of him. She's so reckless."

"I'll second that…" I shift her again, and she mumbles a little in her sleep. I know it's a vain hope, but I really hope that my cheeks aren't on fire right now. "We should get back to camp as soon as possible. She needs some real treatment, not patch ups on the fly."

"I can handle that…" Death Breath walks over to the stream, a rainbow still in the air from Ciara's intervention. He tosses a drachma into the mist. "Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering and show me Nico di Angelo."

The rainbow shimmers, and in the mist appears the head counselor of the Hades Cabin, a towel around his neck and what looks like fresh clothes, like he just had a shower. He glances at the Iris message and his eyes widen. "Kai? What's going on? Where are you? Do you have her?"

Death Breath nods tiredly. "We've got her. We came out through the Orpheus door, we're back in Ausable now. You can send us Jules-Albert now and let him home in on my location."

Di Angelo's eyes narrow, scrutinizing his little brother. "Yeah, I'll send him. But when you guys get back, you're telling me everything you left out, including whatever you just fought." _Great...now the counselor of the Hades Cabin knows that we got into an extra battle._

"Well, we didn't fight them but, yeah…I'll tell you later" His shoulders slump a little, and he looks like he's a pulled a week's worth of all-nighters. "After I get some sleep." He yawns loudly, his eyes drooping a bit.

"Deal. Come back soon, I'll let them know you're on your way back." Di Angelo snaps his fingers, and it feels like the snap sends tremors all the way here from Long Island. At the same time, the Iris message disappears, there's a rumble deep in the ground, like the very beginnings of an earthquake.

Off to the east, down the road, a car horn breaks the silence of the marsh. Death Breath glances over towards the sound and sighs. "That would be Jules-Albert with the car. Come on…"

Waiting just through the trees is a big black SUV, with a waiting chauffeur. _Must be Jules-Albert_ _…_ But as I get a closer look at the chauffeur, something seems very off. And I quickly realize what. "Is he…dead?"

"Uh-huh…" Death Breath yawns pointedly. "He's my brother's zombie chauffeur, used to be a french race-car driver or something. Something about Dad giving it to him for a birthday like twenty years ago. Sometimes he lets me borrow the SUV and Jules-Albert."

The zombie quietly opens up the doors of the SUV for us, motioning for us to get inside. I head straight to the back, while Sam heads up front. "Oh! Can I ride shotgun!?"

"Yeah…sure…" Death Breath sits down in the back seat, leaning against the window. "Wake me up when we get there…"

"Sure…" I swear that he nods off almost immediately. Problem is, there's not a whole lot of room in the SUV for laying Ciara down. The back seat is the best place to put her down, but I'd rather not literally put her in the sleeping idiot's lap. He's already done enough damage today, and she's never even going to know about it thanks to those stupid vows.

But she needs to lie down and rest some more, since that stunt of hers probably wiped out all of the energy she got back from Sam's treatments. So, I suck up all of my protests and slide her onto the back seat, letting her head rest in our other napper's lap. _One time_ _…that's all. I'm never doing this again._

Grumbling a little, I sit down in the middle of the SUV, and a wave of exhaustion rolls through me as well. _Guess I shouldn't have stayed up with Sam for so long. I definitely don't have his seemingly endless supply of energy._ Right now, the sunny brat is chattering away to the zombie, like he hasn't just pulled an all-nighter.

I look out the tinted window and sigh lightly. _Maybe those two have the right idea... I could definitely do with a nap right now._ My eyelids feel heavy, and every blink makes them feel more and more like stone doors trying to slam shut.

Moments later, I stop trying to keep them open.


	35. Welcome Home

**I've finished transferring the last of my notes for this particular installment of "Legacy of Camp Half-Blood", which means that with only a few more chapters (unless I come up with some extra material, or get a sudden burst of inspiration or request for something special) this first story will come to an end. Maybe 3 or 4 more chapters, and that's it (then I can work on some of my other stories while coming up with the plot for the next installment). Therefore, if anyone wants to weigh in on that, feel free.**

 **On another note...it looks like I'm getting some good reactions to the little reveal last chapter, and I will continue on with that little surprise next chapter. For this one, though, I'll be nice and let them go home.**

 **And...throw in a little extra twist at the end.**

* * *

Nico's P.O.V.

It feels like every minute stretches on for an hour. Annabeth has returned from Chicago, her current project on hold for a few days so that she can make sure that her daughter is alright. Not that the mortals know that. They only know that there is a family emergency that requires her attention. She could hardly tell them that her daughter was kidnapped by a manticore and dragged down into the Underworld. Taking shifts with Percy, she's currently sleeping off her anxiety in the Poseidon Cabin.

Percy, on the other hand, has been fidgeting constantly since I told him that Ciara was alive, safe, and the boys were on their way back.I'd be surprised if he lets Ciara out of their cabin for the rest of the summer. Not that I won't try to make him decide otherwise. It's just not healthy to keep a twelve year old girl cooped up in a cabin for a month, overprotective father or not.

Finally, his fidgeting has frayed my nerves enough that I need to put my foot down. Or rather, my hand. "Percy, she's going to be fine." I hold his hand down on the table, looking across as him with the calmest expression I can muster. "Jules-Albert is driving them here right now. And you know what traffic is like in Manhattan at this time of the day, and it's been almost eight hours. They'll be here soon." If there were no traffic, it might be a six hour drive, but with our luck, they probably got caught in rush hour.

Five minutes later, Caiden races into the pavillion, unsteady from just landing, even though he should be on border patrol near the camp gates right now. "They're back!"

It feels like time freezes for a second, then, Percy is on his feet and bolts, heading straight for Thalia's Pine. Caiden looks pretty worn out, so I pat him on the shoulder. "Alright, you go and sit down for a bit. We'll take care of this now."

He nods tiredly, collapsing to the floor in a heap of limbs and armor. "I think a nap would be nice..."

I chuckle lightly, disappearing into the shadows right in front of his eyes. _I think we could all do with some sleep right about now._ I re-materialize in the shadow of the great pine tree, right next to Peleus, our guard dragon. And despite the distance between the pavilion and the tree, Percy joins me less than a minute later.

The seconds tick by painfully slowly, like single drops of water falling. Until the shadows in front of us start warping, moving of their own accords. And out of them tumble four kids, falling together in a heap. A series of pained groans come from somewhere near the bottom that sound distinctly like that little Zeus kid that likes to give my brother such a hard time.

Percy's eyes widen, and he makes a beeline for the pile, picking up the tiny form right on the very top of the pile. _Looks like whether they meant to or not, those boys managed to protect her from a bad landing..._ I smile and shake my head as I approach the pile, carefully dragging off the second unconscious kid. _Jeez...looks like you pushed yourself too hard this time, Kai._ My little brother must have dragged them through the shadows to get from the bottom of the hill, which would explain how he knocked himself out.

Luckily, Sam and Will are still conscious, and with Ciara and Kai extracted from the pile, the two of them can push themselves to their feet. Sam is the first one up, bouncing up like he wasn't just the bottom of a doggy pile. "We made it!"

"Yes, you did." Percy's face is almost glowing with happiness as he turns to the two boys. "Thank you. You have no idea how much it means to me that you've brought her back." And surprisingly, he manages not to cry. I actually expected him to, considering how emotional I know he can get. But the tender smile he has as he looks at his daughter's face expresses his feelings more than enough.

But, that just leaves one thing to do. I smile wryly at Percy. "Let's get these two to the infirmary."

Percy's gentle smile turns into a full-blown smirk. "Why? So you can ogle your man-candy in his scrubs?"

I roll my eyes sarcastically. "You sure you're not the one fantasizing?

He shrugs. "Will's not my type. Though I still don't get why I'm not yours!"

I resist the urge to smack my head against a tree. "...Shut up, Seaweed Brain."

* * *

Will (Solace)'s P.O.V.

It's been a quiet night in the infirmary. In fact it's been a rather quiet week. Though, I think I'd rather have been busy, instead of having lots of time to think about the psychological chaos going on instead of the regular physical violence that we usually see. Because I'm about one more nervous breakdown from ordering Percy, Nico, and all of Ciara's little friends off their patrols and various shifts and into bed for some much-needed rest.

"Will!" Nico's voice, much lighter than it has been for the past week, flies through the air of the infirmary. "We've got them!"

Disbelief shoots through me as I turn around to see Nico carrying his little brother, and Percy with his daughter in his arms. "You've...got them..."

Nico nods as he lays his little brother down on one of the beds. "These two were unconscious when they arrived, we sent the other two back to their cabins to get some sleep."

"I see." I reach for my stethoscope and a pen-light. After checking his heartbeat, which is a bit slower than I'd like it to be, I shine the light into Kai's eyes, as well as his mouth, nose, and ears. Because for some reason, we demigods like to bleed from anywhere and everywhere. "Well, it looks like he's just pushed his powers too far, but..." I don't like the aura I'm feeling around him. "He feels...weak for some reason. Physically, he's exhausted. But it feels more like his spirit is drained."

Nico's eyes narrow at his little brother. "I see..." And judging by the way he's looking at the boy, I think that he actually does. Then, his eyes flick to the next bed, where Percy is sitting next to Ciara. "I think...that when they found her, she was probably almost dead."

Percy's eyes flick up and grow cold and concerned. "Then why does it seem like she's just asleep?"

"Probably because she is." Nico's eyes travel between the two kids. "I think that my reckless little brother literally gave her his life, using his aura to restore hers."

That is not quite what I was expecting. I turn to Ciara's bed, repeating the same measures with her. "Well, she seems to be doing better than him...and I can definitely feel the influence of his power in her." Her aura feels a bit cooler, and a bit wispier than it usually does, rather than the strong, flexible aura I've felt from her before. "But there doesn't seem to be anything particularly wrong with them. So I'm prescribing a few days of bed rest, as well as servings of nectar and ambrosia with every meal." I write down the instructions on two pieces of paper. "Don't feed them too much at first, and let them build up their appetites. Apart from that, I'd suggest that they recuperate in their own cabins, since there's nothing better for recovery than a good night's sleep in your own bed. And absolutely no using their abilities for at least a week and a half." I hand a paper to Percy, and one to Nico. "Doctor's orders."

Nico smirks at the phrase, tucking the paper into his pocket and picking his little brother back up. "Well then, who am I to defy the doctor?" His quiet laughter echoes through the room as he disappears into the shadows, no doubt returning to his cabin to put his brother to bed.

Percy carefully slides his daughter into his arms, treating her almost like a fragile glass sculpture. "You know, this is why I never wanted her involved in our world..."

Memories of old conversations come to mind, popping up from time to time throughout her childhood. "I know, but she's your daughter. If she's going to be a part of this world, then all we can do is train her, teach her, and hope that she learns fast enough to be properly prepared for everything that's out there." I shoot him a reassuring smile. "We were caught off guard this time, but we won't be next time. Because next time, she'll be carrying a trophy back into camp, not being carried back as part of a rescue mission."

* * *

Nico's P.O.V.

After giving myself enough time to make sure that Kai is tucked into bed, and a quick visit to my father to ask for some answers, it's time for me to drop by the infirmary for a personal visit. Will's had more than enough time to sleep, and knowing him, he's probably been at the infirmary since the sun started to rise. Plus, after a whole night of worrying about the state of my goddaughter and my little brother, I need someone to talk to. And that's code for some snuggle time.

I creep quietly into the infirmary, making a very nice use of Shadow Travel. And as Will sits at the desk, checking over some papers, I sneak up on him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and earning a small jump from him. "Nico?"

"Yep." I nuzzle my face into his soft golden curls. "So, the kids are out of the danger zone..."

"Yeah…" Will sighs. "Although I'm thinking of proposing a list to Chiron. A list of powers and abilities that campers aren't allowed to use. For their safety, of course. It's been long overdue...we should have put it together years ago."

"Oh?" It sounds like an intriguing idea. But I can't help but be suspicious of his motives. "And exactly what brought this on? I thought that you weren't mad about that whole Shadow Travel thing anymore."

"I'm not. It's your brother I'm worried about." Will sits up straight, brushing my arms off and turning to face me. "I realize that without that power of his, that ability to restore someone's life aura with his own, Ciara would probably have been dead before they could even get her out of the Underworld. But it's not a power that he can use all the time. It nearly killed him!" Even though he's started to recover already, his energy was alarmingly low, so it's not a power he can use very often, that's fairly obvious. "And somehow, I get the feeling that this isn't the kind of power that will get easier to use over time."

Though the general idea is not what I was hoping to hear, I have to agree. "Leo's fire ability is rare enough, but Kai's happens maybe once every four centuries. And…apparently it's been fatal before." After paying my father a visit to ask about it, it started haunting me a little. "So…if that's your reason for wanting to make the list, then that's fine by me. Just don't put Shadow Travel on it. I've already explained to Kai what happens if that power gets pushed too far. And I doubt that he's going to be hauling forty foot statues across the Atlantic Ocean any time soon, since he can barely keep an accurate path over five kilometers, so I don't think that it'll be an issue."

Will sighs. "Fine. But that life transfer power of his is going to be the first on that list. It's all well and good if he manages to save someone with it, but he put his own life at risk in the process. No matter how noble it is, it was stupid and reckless. And he is never to use that power again unless his beloved is on their deathbed." Well, I've never accused Will of not being a romantic at heart. He's just given Kai the most romantic of outs.

"His beloved, huh?" I can easily imagine resorting to that kind of power if anything were to happen to Will. Though he would definitely yell at me for it later. "About that…" There's something I still haven't told anyone, but I've done enough people watching to guess at what's going on. "There's probably something that you should know."

"Nico?" Will tilts his head, looking so adorably like a puppy, a golden retriever puppy. "What's up?"

This is not something that's going to be comfortable to explain, not even to Will. "I'm not entirely sure if they know it yet, but from what I can tell, Kai already has a crush on Ciara."

Will's eyes widen a little. "Already? But they've known each other for barely a month!"

I try not to laugh at the point he's trying to make. "To be fair, it didn't take me long to have a crush on you. I'm pretty sure that I was nursing one by the time my three days in the infirmary were up."

"Nico!" Will blushes brightly, his usual reaction to when I bring up the time when we were a couple of awkward teenagers working their way around a brand new gay romance. And that's with the complication of one of us being from one of the most homophobic time periods in history. Then he sighs, his face still flushed. "Okay fine, I get it. I guess it could happen. But what's the problem then?"

Getting to the problem is not going to be comfortable. "Well, the problem is that I don't think that he's the only one with a crush on her." At least, if my analysis of the kids' actions are anything to go by. And I would hope that my vast amount people-watching over the years has yielded some skill in interpretation. Because I may not be a psychologist, but I'm pretty sure I know what jealousy looks like.

That elicits a frown from Will. "Might I point out that Sam and Eran have been flirting almost non-stop since the legacies arrived?"

"It's not Sam or Eran." In fact, it's probably the last person that Will would ever expect it to be. "It's a certain son of Zeus that my brother already hates with a passion."

Will's eyes bug out, shock flitting across his face. "You…can't be serious. Both of them!?"

"Looks like it…" Not even a teenager yet, and already, my sweet little goddaughter is charming the boys like pegasi going after carrots, oats, and candied apples. And she's not even doing it on purpose. That's the most dangerous part.

Suddenly, Will's mouth curls into a smirk. "Hey, I just thought of something."

"Don't hurt yourself." I try to keep my voice as dry as possible, but I think my silent laugh bleeds into it.

Will looks like he's resisting the urge to smack me upside the head, something that I've given him many reasons to have experience with. "I was just thinking that if both of them have crushes on her, that it would be really funny if it turned out that she prefers girls."

I freeze. It's honestly a possibility that I'd never considered. My goddaughter might not have any interest in boys, though it's still a bit too early to tell either way. "That…would definitely complicate things…" Forget complicated, that would ruin any chances that either of them have. Though it might definitely win her some points with the Aphrodite Cabin. They love their complicated love stories. And she's definitely cute enough to have gotten the attention of a few of the girls there. Well, the ones that haven't sent their boyfriends after her.

"Anyway, it was just a thought, no need to read too much into it." Will brushes it right back off like it doesn't even matter. "After all, she's only twelve. It's not like she has to make a decision about any of this right now. Give it a few years, it might turn out that she's like Eran. And if that's the case, then everyone has a shot with her. Well, not everyone, but it will certainly open up her options."

Somehow, the idea of her being open to a relationship with anyone doesn't make me feel any better. So, I make a snap decision. "I'm going to make sure that she doesn't get a boyfriend or girlfriend until she's at least fifteen. There's a lot more for her to learn before she can really make important decisions like that."

Will snickers a little. "You seem more concerned for her than for your little brother. I just hope that he's not like you."

"Like me?" That snaps me back to reality. "Oh…crap." I slap my forehead in frustration. "If ever there was a time where I hoped that he's nothing like our father, it's now."

"Is that because you still don't want to admit that when the children of Hades fall in love, they fall hard?" Will's wry smile just makes his assumption all the worse, because he isn't wrong. Like my father, I've got quite an emotional swing, no matter how much I try to pretend that I don't. And ever since Ciara showed up, Kai has been showing signs of the same thing.

 _Oh boy...I wonder how long he's going to take to fess up...he can be even more stubborn than me. And what if he finds out that he's got competition...?_

For demigods, even notions of love get dangerous and complicated, and that's before the almighty goddess of love gets involved. And the sadistic lady definitely has a thing for forbidden romance and love triangles, so she'll treat this like a damn reality show. "Di immortales...we are so screwed..."


	36. A Promise on the River Styx

**I'm doing another Nico-centered chapter, I hope that you liked the last one. This one is going to focus a lot on Nico's thoughts, as well as the Bianca reveal. Oh, and fatherly/godfatherly affection and protective tendencies.**

 **Though, on another note, I've just sent my laptop in again to get fixed, and I should have it back in a couple of weeks. It should certainly make balancing writing and classes easier. It's hard to organize my notes when I have to convert my scrivener files into a mish-mash of word documents.**

* * *

Nico's P.O.V.

"Are you sure about this?" I raise an eyebrow, scrutinizing my little brother carefully. "You know what will happen if you push yourself before you're fully recovered."

He groans quietly. "I've been stuck in bed for ten days. If you keep me in here any longer, I'm going to go insane."

It's actually rather funny, since usually, he doesn't like going out to socialize with people. _Hm...I wonder what brought about this change...or who..._ "Alright, do whatever you like. But if anything happens, know that I will have my Sunshine on you in an instant." There's nothing like threatening to sic my husband on my little brother.

"Fine..." Kai grumbles, knowing better than to argue right now, probably because I have set Will on him before, and he doesn't want a repeat of that. "Besides, it's not like I was planning on going across the Atlantic." He glares at me pointedly. _He' never going to let me live that down...and he wasn't even born yet!_

"Fine, fine." I step out of his path, clearing the way to the entrance of the cabin. And as he races past me and out the door, I can't help the smile that creeps onto my face. _Well, I've taught him a lot the last eight years. I guess it's time to let him go..._

In the meantime, it's about time that I head down to breakfast. I remember what happened the last time I was stupid enough to skip that meal. Will's voice rang in my ears for a week afterward. This, coming from the one with an excruciatingly painful ultrasonic whistle. I've seen him shatter glass with that thing.

The thought has me chuckling as I walk to the dining pavilion. And judging by the amount of noise coming from the far side, where the Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades tables are pushed together, everyone knows that Ciara and Kai are out of isolation. For the last week and a half, neither of them have set foot outside of their cabins. And I would blame mine and Percy's protective instincts for that. I'm sure the two of them do.

I grab a plate and cup on my way over to the tables, then take my customary place right next to Will, who is already fussing over his two little patients with one last check-up. "You know, the whole point of keeping them inside was to make sure that they wouldn't need you checking them over, Doctor."

"Hush!" He waves his hand at me, a signal for me to keep it down and let him focus. It's kind of cute when he gets like this, and has provided many an opportunity for me to get revenge for the plethora of nose pokes he's given me over the years.

"Doctor Solace, I'm fine!" Ciara tries to bat his hands away, but to no avail, as he easily catches both of her wrists in one hand and holds them down.

He peers into her face carefully. "I'm sure that you are, but it doesn't hurt to double check." He squints a little, the way he always does when deeply focused.

Which gives me the perfect opportunity to do this. "Earth to Sunshine!" I flick him in the nose, startling him. He lets go of Ciara reflexively and scrunches up his nose with a sound of displeasure. I roll my eyes. "Don't even think about complaining. Do you know how many times you've poked, prodded, pinched, or otherwise messed around with my nose since we got together?"

"Fifteen thousand, six hundred and forty two." He blinks quickly. "Uh...I didn't mean to say that."

Kai leans away from Will. "You keep track? Do you have any idea how weird that is?"

"It's Will, so it's not that weird." I lean over and press a kiss to his cheek. "Okay, I guess it's a little weird. But that's just because he's special."

"In all the good ways, right?" Will's smile brightens significantly.

I try not to snort into my breakfast. "Yeah, let's go with that." Then, I look across the table to see Ciara staring at me. "Something wrong? Do I have food on my face?" I resist the urge to rub my sleeve against my face, just to make sure that there's nothing there.

She shakes her head slightly, tilting her head a little to the side. "It's..." She grimaces, leaning her head down so that it can rest on her palm. "I...Someone left a message for you...when I was..."

I frown slightly. "When you were what?" I've never seen her act like this before. So whatever is going on must be something big. "Did someone send you a message in a dream?" It's not like it hasn't been done before, in fact, many of the gods, both major and minor, like to send dream messages rather than risk breaking ancient laws by meeting face to face.

She nods slightly. "Yeah...but it was while I was still in the Underworld..."

The entire three tables stop talking, and every head turns to look at her. Of course, it's easy to figure out why. Dream messages are one thing, but to get a dream message while down in the Underworld is something on a whole other level of weird. Though while the location makes the message's recipient make more sense, I don't really understand why it would be sent to her, rather than to my brother.

I reach for her hand across the table. "What is the message? Did they threaten you over it?"

"No." She closes her eyes, and sways a little. "She...she said 'Il destino è inatteso. Il ciclo della rinascita è imprevedibile. Orologio sopra lei.'" My eyes widen with every word, because they're all in Italian. "And then, she said...'Ti amo, Nico. Non vi ho dimenticato.'" Ciara opens her eyes and stares at me like she's seen a ghost. "Who was she? And why did she look like you?"

For a few seconds, all I can hear is my heart pounding in my ears. ' _Destiny is unexpected. The cycle of rebirth in unpredictable. Watch over her. I love you, Nico. I have no forgotten you.'_ There is only one person who would leave a message like that for me. _Bianca..._

I take a deep breath and watch Ciara's reactions carefully. "Did she tell you her name?"

She shakes her head. "No. She just said that she's me, but that I'm me, and that I'm her, but she's her. Or something like that." She winces slightly. "It's...kind of fuzzy..."

Percy, who has been sitting there in stunned silence this entire time drops his spoon. "That's impossible...she's too young."

Then again, it wouldn't be the first time that the Fates intervened in something for their own reasons. They seem to have a bad habit of manipulating things without letting anyone know. So who is to say that they wouldn't halt the cycle of a soul's rebirth for a few years, placing the soul where they want it to go.

Our silence, however, seems to be making Ciara rather nervous. "What's going on? Is it something bad?" Her brain must be really ADHD, because I can practically see her jumping to all of the wrong conclusions. "Am I possessed!?"

Eran snickers from down the table. "If you're possessed, I wanna do the exorcism." Sam promptly smacks Leo's brat in the head, and the little firecracker falls face-first into his plate of food.

But although Eran might be joking, the other kids are all looking at Ciara like they might need to come up with a plan for demonic exorcism fast. Caiden's eyes keep flicking to the Hecate Cabin, and I'm not sure if he suspects them of doing something, or is considering them as a possible solution. Either way, I should probably go ahead and clear up all of the misunderstandings.

And the best way to do that is to smile for her. "No, you're not possessed." I glance at Percy, sitting next to Ciara. "Would you rather me not tell her?"

Percy bites his lip, glancing first at Ciara, then at me. Then, he sighs. "No...go ahead and tell her. It's probably too late to do anything to stop her from asking anyway."

"Agreed." Now, how to go about it. "Well, I suppose that I should explain how souls can cycle through the Underworld." Kai's eyes widen, and he looks a little less worried now that I'm delving into familiar territory. "For those souls that believe in the Underworld, the Greek and Roman Underworld, there are...options for what happens to them after death. Those who deserve eternal torment are sent to the Field of Punishment. Those who simply make their way through their ordinary lives, just existing...they go to the Fields of Asphodel. And finally, for those who do good things in their lives, they have the potential of being sent to Elysium."

Ciara blinks, looking a little confused, so Kai rolls his eyes. "Think of it as Heaven, Hell, and a plane of death in between."

"Oh..." She nods quietly. But it makes sense that she would understand that, after all, she's been living around mortals for over a decade. She's still getting used to the way things are done here. "Okay, but what does that have to do with me apparently not being possessed?"

Something in her tone reminds me of my sister, which makes my heart ache a little. "What it has to do with you is that those souls that are sent to Elysium have the option of trying for the Isles of the Blessed. Think of it as the Underworld's party headquarters. It's like Elysium, but even better. And the three islands are locatedin the middle of a lake in Elysium."

"So...like 'Heaven's' VIP section?" She's making a good enough analogy, so I nod.

But there's still the most important part ahead. "Yes. And the way that you get there is by achieving Elysium in three separate lifetimes. You need to be reborn multiple times in order to meet the requirements for admittance. And two decades ago my older sister, Bianca di Angelo, died as a Hunter of Artemis. A few years later, she decided to try for rebirth, to gain admittance to the Isles of the Blessed. I'd thought that she would be reborn immediately, but according to your message, it would seem that was not the case."

For a few seconds her face remains blank. Then, the cogs start turning again, and her eyes widen. "Wait, so I'm..."

"Not exactly." Percy interrupts her quickly. "Regardless of whether a soul is reborn or not, their mind and their personality are unique each time, with maybe a few small elements or qualities common to each rebirth." His eyes crinkle as he smiles. "But...it would certainly explain why you're so attached to Nico. I did think it was kind of weird."

"Weirder than your obsession with blue food?" Jason prods Percy, obviously looking to start a fight, or at least a food fight. And the last time that happened, the dining pavilion was covered in cheese, guacamole, and salsa, because someone thought that it would be a great idea to have a Mexican night. Leo and Grover.

But as Percy moves to shove what's left of his breakfast into Jason's face, the younger son of Zeus frowns. "So wait, you're saying that in her past life, she was a child of Hades?"

Kai's fork stops halfway to his mouth, before lowering back down to his plate. It's a strange motion, but I pass it over and focus on McGrant. "In the past, yes. But now, she is a legacy of Poseidon and Athena." Judging by the way he said that, I'm fairly sure that he's at least aware that Kai has an interest in her, and after that comment, it's safe to say that Kai now knows that Will is aware of it.

 _Well...these next few years are going to be interesting...especially once Percy figures out what's going on._ Not that I'm going to let anyone have their way with my goddaughter, even if one of them is my little brother. Of course, though hearing the message from Bianca was nice, it doesn't actually change anything, because now I can only adore the little girl even more.

Percy pushes Jason away and tugs his daughter into his lap. "Well I, for one, am very happy about this."

Jason raises an eyebrow and puts down his plate so that he doesn't dump it all over his son's newest friend. "Oh, and why's that?"

Percy smiles gently. "Well, it means that she's already gotten Elysium at least once. And while I'm hoping that she outlives the usual lifespan for a demigod, I'd be a terrible parent if I didn't care about what was going to happen to her after she outlives me." He presses his face into her hair, making her squirm a little. "After all, I only want the best for my little girl."

It sounds like there's a little threat hidden in that sentiment, though I can't be sure if Percy has seen what I have or not. He can be a real idiot when it comes to spotting romantic feelings. In fact, I think that Annabeth would have to sit him down and explain it with a diagram before he got it. Either way, I won't stop him if he thinks that the boys are getting a little too close to his still rather innocent little girl. Well, as innocent as you can be after using water from the Styx to drown an army of monsters. Kai was quite thorough in detailing what they found down there, not that he had much else to do but talk to me about what happened.

I watch Ciara turn a violent shade of red as she squirms and struggles vainly to get out of her dad's grip. And a smile crosses my face. _I guess that Bianca is happy with how her new life has turned out._ _And I will definitely make things different this time._

I will train her and prepare her, and make sure that she is strong enough to live well past the age my big sister did.

This, I swear on the River Styx.


	37. Marshmallows Make Friends

**Okay, so this is one of the last chapters of this installment of Legacy of Camp Half-Blood. I've still got one chapter for after this, unless anyone has a request that they'd like to put in that I haven't thought of for the future installments (installments meaning each summer camp session, so the next installment will be their next summer, when Ciara is thirteen).**

 **So, unless someone has something they really want to see happen (like maybe an all-out prank war, though I thought that might go off better once the characters stop hating each other for the most part, and yes, I do have some plans for a prank war), then next chapter is going to bring this first summer full circle.**

 **In the meantime, have some funny, fluffy, sticky fun.**

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Kai's P.O.V.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

I grumble and pull my pillow over my head. "Go away!" I'm in no mood to be entertaining idiots today. Earlier, I decided to get some practice in, and Nico thought it would be a great idea that, since I seemed to be doing so much better, he and I have a sparring session. Needless to say, I feel like I've got more bruises than skin right now. Even ten hours later, everything aches, and never before have I so wanted to smash a vase on my big brother's head.

*Knock* *Knock* Knock*

"I said go away!" Whoever is at the door just doesn't seem to understand that I don't want to go outside right now. Or that by persisting, they are putting their very life in danger.

"Not happening!" The door slams open and footsteps echo off the floor. "Come on, get up. Your bruises can't possibly be that bad."

I turn over to glare at Sam from underneath my blankets. "What the hell do you want?"

He smiles that annoying sunshiney grin at me. "You've been moping in your cabin long enough." He grabs the blankets and yanks them off me. "Whoa, your big brother really worked you over good."

I groan and pull my pillow back over my head. "I said go away!" This is one of the last people I want to deal with right now. Mostly because he's so damn persistent. He just doesn't know how to take no for an answer.

"Ah...nope!" Sam sits down on my bed, pushing on my shoulders until I'm flat on my stomach. "You're coming out of the cabin whether you like it or not. But I'll at least do something about these bruises before we leave."

It's funny. Sam is supposed to be a healer, but he's more like a bad cold. I just can't get rid of him. For some reason, he seems to think that I'm not really as scary as I used to be. _Hmph...if he really thinks I'm not scary anymore, then maybe a few summoned zombies will make him change his mind._ I've been practicing, so I think that I can summon more than just a rotting, dismembered hand, or accidentally flood the camp with a skeletal army.

Then, Sam's hands press down on my back, right into the bruises. I bite my lip to stifle a groan, before a soft feeling of relief washes through me. _Ah...so that's what the bright idiot is doing._ With every motion, my body starts to ache less and less. He must have taken pity on me, because I get the feeling that my bruises won't be purple and black and yellow much longer.

But, that makes me suspicious of his motives. "Alright, so what exactly is it that you want from me?" Since he's going to all the trouble to relieve some of my pain, I should probably at least hear what he wants before I shoot him down. Though, at this point, he should probably be expecting to be shot down, no matter what he wants from me.

"Well, we're having a big campfire tonight, and I thought that it would be a good idea to drag you along, since you hate socializing with people." I can just feel the cheery smile he's directing at the back of my head.

And then, there's also his astounding lack of logic to consider. "You know, you'd think that you wouldn't drag someone who hates socializing to a social gathering. It'd probably be a good idea for you to get your head checked, because you obviously have a few screws loose."

"You'd think so, but that's not the point." He's not even contesting my insinuation. "I'm not suggesting it because you hate socializing and want to torture you with it, it's because I think that you'll like it if you just give it a try. Even if you only talk to a few people that you're comfortable with, that's okay. But you can't keep going with this whole loner act you've been putting on forever." He moves his hands a little more, pressing deeper into my skin, like he's trying to give me a massage.

"And you think that I would like talking to a bunch of idiots?" I'm not afraid to admit that I do not have a very high opinion of the other campers. Especially those Aphrodite girls. They piss me off the most because of all their damn squealing.

"No, but I think that you might like hanging out with the legacies. You know... Caiden, Eran, Ciara. They're not nearly as crazy as some of the campers." He presses down on my shoulder, right where there's a knot in my muscles. And I didn't even know that there was a knot there. " You should just give it a try. Then, the rest of the camp might be less scared of you." He says that like it would be a good thing.

I take the pillow off of my head and settle it under my chin instead. "And who says that I want the rest of the camp to like me?"

Sam pulls his hands back a little. "Because when the three of us were out there, trudging through marshes and the Underworld, looking for Ciara, you reached out to us. I think that you're a lot more willing to make friends than you'll admit, because you're afraid of getting hurt." I twitch a little, then move to toss him off my back, only for him to press his hands down again around my spine. "I don't need to know why you're so afraid of getting hurt, but it won't hurt you to at least try to get along with people. It's not like I'm telling you to hook up with anyone. Just...give them a chance to see what you're really like. And none of that scary and cold death stuff, okay?"

All of this is starting to sound a little familiar. "Have you been talking to Nico?" If he has, I swear that he's going to get buried under a mile of dirt.

"Nope!" He grins as I turn my head enough to see the look on his face. "Just my big brother. He said that children of Hades seem to be more prone to this kind of attitude. At least, that's what he said that he observed from observing you and Nico."

I groan quietly into the pillow. _Of course... Dr. Sunshine is the one who told him that._ "And what if I say that I won't go to the campfire?" Not that he would have come in here without a plan. You don't just waltz into the Hades Cabin without a plan.

"Then I'll tell Dad that you sing really well, and he'll come charging in here and drag you out to sing in front of everybody!" It definitely sounds like if I had turned him down outright, that this is the plan he would have fallen back on. And that's the last thing that I need. The god of the sun dragging me out to sing in front of people that will just make fun of me for it.

"Fine..." I stuff my face into the pillow again. _But if he even thinks about trying to make me sing, I am going to bury him so far in the ground that he'll be able to say hello to my father for me._

"Alright, all done!" Sam's weight leaves my back and he tips himself off my bed. "You should be able to move around now without any pain. Just try not to get into any more fights today, otherwise your body is going a lot more sore than someone with your impatience is willing to put up with."

I sit up slowly, my pajamas disastrously rumpled from having Sam messing around with my back. "Okay, now get out so that I can change. I'm not leaving my cabin looking like this."

Instead of leaving, Sam just keeps on grinning. "Wow, I didn't think you were such a girl about how you look, Kai."

I stare at him flatly. "You have five seconds to leave before I bury you in twenty tonnes of rock." Two seconds later, he's gone, and the slamming of the door echoes through the cabin.

And two minutes later, I emerge from my cabin, dressed in dark jeans, a dark blue t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. My tastes in clothes definitely came from my big brother's liking for leather. Something that his husband has loudly appreciated on more than one occasion.

To prevent Sam from trying to grab my hand or something, I follow him obediently to the fire-pit. Overhead, the sky is going dark, and the stars are starting to come out. Admittedly, he picked a good night to drag me out of my cabin. If worst comes to worst, I can probably sneak off halfway through the campfire once the Apollo Cabin start singing. _Maybe I should go stargazing tonight..._ Laughter from the fire-pit distracts me, and I catch sight of three very loud legacies with mechanical roasting sticks, roasting marshmallows over the bright orange flames of the campfire.

Sam tugs on my jacket. "Over here, I made sure to save us a couple of seats on the quieter side of the campfire." He nods over to where some of the Demeter and Hebe campers are sitting. They're less enthusiastically friendly, and aren't really fond of me to begin with, which means that they're more likely to leave me alone.

I take a seat in front of the flames, staring at them as they flicker against the darkening sky. Then, I turn to Sam to ask him what he's planning to do to me tonight, since there's no way he's going to leave things like this without getting some kind of stupid fun out of it, when suddenly a mass of white streaks towards my face, and I instinctively duck. Unfortunately, whatever it was hits the top of my head, skimming across my hair and sticking there.

Reaching up to my hair, I feel around gingerly for whatever it is that's gotten stuck there, and my fingers find something extremely sticky. I bring my fingers down and examine them, finding little bits of melted marshmallow stuck to them. _You have got to be kidding me..._ I look up to where three very enthusiastic legacies were roasting marshmallows, only to see them grinning eagerly at what seems to be very good, and very unfortunate aim. I narrow my eyes at them, and Caiden Grace bolts from his seat, racing away from the legacies of Poseidon and Hephaestus.

 _Ciara..._

* * *

Ciara's P.O.V.

As Kai and Sam turn to look at me and Eran, Caiden bolting in terror, I can't help the smile on my face. Poor Sam has a little bit of singed hair on top of his head from Eran's flaming marshmallow, while there's gooey white stuff stuck in Kai's inky black hair. And the look on his face is downright murderous. That would certainly explain why Caiden ran like the harpies were at his heels.

Still, it's hard to take Kai seriously when he's got sticky white goop in his hair.

Sam's eye twitches slightly, then he gets up, pulls me to my feet, and shoves me toward Kai. "You go sit over there. Me and this flaming idiot have to talk."

Sam drops himself right down where I was once sitting, and proceeds to start pulling on Eran's ears and muttering something, rather angrily, into the legacy's ear. And as a seat has conveniently been vacated for me, I cautiously approach a still very pissed off Kai. "Uh...hi?"

Kai glowers at me, clearly not happy with me. "And you got a marshmallow in my hair because...?"

My eyes travel up to where the white goop is still stuck to his hair, and I resist the urge to laugh, but not to smile. "Well...at least I didn't set it on fire...?"

He's definitely not impressed. "Alright, then since you put it there, you can be the one to get it out."

He watches me expectantly, so I take a look at how stuck it is. _Uh...I don't think that it would be a good idea if I touched that...my fingers would just get it stuck worse..._ I look around for something that could help, then I notice an unopened water bottle sitting next to Caiden. _Well...he'll forgive me for this later, if he even cares._ I discreetly call the water to my hand, and it brings the plastic bottle along with it.

As I uncap the bottle and the water flows out, Kai looks at me warily. "If you drench me with that, I'm throwing you into the canoe lake."

I raise an eyebrow at him as the water coalesces into a sphere. "You say that like it's a punishment. Have you forgotten that I'm a legacy of Poseidon?"

"No." He shakes his head, and a hint of a smile curves his lips. "It means that I don't have to feel guilty about it, or worry about whether or not you'll drown."

I pout slightly at his words. "Seriously? You just want to be able to punish me without risking killing me? That's cold."

"Speaking of cold..." He glances at the water twisting itself around my hand. "If you make the marshmallow any colder, it's never going to come out."

"I know that!" I hiss irritably and extend my hand towards the fire, letting the flames heat the water around my hand. And never before have I been so thankful for my apparent resistance to heat. "Now stop talking and let me focus, otherwise I'll just get marshmallow everywhere."

He rolls his eyes and shuts his trap, leaning his head down slightly to make up for the height difference. "Just hurry up. I hate the sticky feeling."

"Yeah, yeah..." I move the hot water to his head, taking hold of the surprisingly soft tufts of hair. I let my fingers ruffle the sticky locks, working with the heat of the water to pull away the re-melted marshmallow goop. Thankfully, since it hadn't cooled too much, the bits of white goop come away easily in the hot water, the sugar dissolving like a science project.

When the last of the white goop is gone, I pull my hand away from his hair, and all of the water comes with it, leaving his hair only slightly damp. He frowns slightly, then runs his clean hand through his hair, ruffling it slightly. "...I'm still taking a shower later."

"That's probably a good idea." I let the water splash onto the ground, taking all of the dissolved sugar with it. Then, I look up at him to see that he's no longer looking as murderous as he did earlier. "So...Sam managed to drag you out here, huh?"

Kai's eyes shift back to me, and I feel so awkward, sitting here. "Yes...he surprised me with his ability to use knowledge to his advantage."

I sift through the words in my head, before it all clicks together. "He blackmailed you!?" I cover my mouth for a moment to hold in my laughter as Kai's glare hardens again. "What could he possibly use to blackmail you?"

Kai's expression grows sour, like he just took a drink from a lemonade pitcher before anyone added the sugar. "If I told you, you would hold it over my head too. So it's not happening."

"Aw..." That really disappoints me a little. But, I suppose that there are other things that I can do to amuse myself. "Well, then since we're at the campfire, are you going to sing?"

His eyes widen, and I'm pretty sure that if he were drinking something right now, it would have just been spit out right into the fire. "Not happening."

"Why not?" I frown a little. "You can't sing?"

He turns his eyes away from me and glares into the fire. "Let's go with that."

"Okay...?" It's a weird answer, but I suppose that there's nothing I can do to force the issue. At least, not without drenching the entire campfire. "Then...how about you tell me how you three found me?" I've only heard bits and pieces so far from Dad and Sam, so it would be nice to have the whole story. Or at least a little more than I've got right now. "Sam told me that you were the one who asked for the quest."

I'm not sure if it's the light of the fire, or the heat coming off of it, but I could swear that Kai blushes a little. "Well, after you got kidnapped, I noticed that you weren't at breakfast. And half the camp was quiet, while the other half was freaking out. I didn't want to just sit around and do nothing, so I went to Chiron and asked him to send me on a rescue mission. He didn't want to, so I forced his hand. That's all there really is to it."

It's pretty easy to see that there's more to it than that, but if it's really something he doesn't want to talk about, then it would be mean of me to force the issue. So, I lean over and rest my head against his shoulder. "Thank you..."

"Hm?" He turns his head slightly, ruffling my hair with his warm breath. "For what?"

"For caring..." The thought sobers me up a little, bringing me down from the high brought on by the energy of the campfire. "I may not know everything that happened, but I know that you risked a lot to help me. So...thank you."

A slight pressure grows on my head. "It's fine..." His voice softens, kind of like the color of the fire. I blink, and the color grows a little fuzzy. I blink again, trying to clear my vision, but it only gets fuzzier with every attempt to clear it. My eyelids feel heavy, and the flames blur everything in my line of sight, before they fade away as well.

"Sleep well, Ciara..."


	38. Let's Try This Again

**Well as no one has asked for any bonus bits, this will be the last chapter in this installment of the Legacy of Camp Half-Blood. I'll list this story as complete, and will work on the plot for the next installment. Think of it as the way that Riordan sets up his books, covered one summer (or winter, in the case of The Titan's Curse) with each book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (because, yes, I know that the Heroes of Olympus takes place over the course of roughly a year).**

 **Now, let's bring this story full circle.**

* * *

Ciara's P.O.V.

There's only two weeks left to the summer, and Dad has only just let me start training with Nico again. He's been constantly worried that I would overdo it and hurt myself. And while I'm kind of mad at him for not letting me train until now, I have to admit that the distraction he used wasn't so bad. Anyway, how was I supposed to know that surfing would be easier than riding a bike? And a week and a half of all-day surfing lessons with Dad was hardly the most boring thing I've ever done.

I poke my head into the arena, expecting to see Nico there by the practice dummies. That's where he usually hangs out if he gets here before I do. But the tall figure in black is nowhere to be seen. I frown as I walk farther into the arena. _I know that there's no classes right now...but should the arena really be this empty?_ Then, the soft sound of a sword being sharpened reaches my ears, and I turn in the direction of the sound.

And sitting there, clad in black armor and running a round stone down the length of a wickedly sharp black sword, is a face that I'm more than a little happy to see. "Kai!"

He looks up, his hand stopping its repetitive movement. "Ciara."

I roll my eyes and bound over to him, settling myself down on the bench next to him. "What are you doing here? Want to watch Nico teach me?"

"No." He keeps his head down, going right back to the sharpening of his sword. _He's ignoring me..._

But I've seen this before. I know this position quite well. So, I get to my feet and stand right in front of him. And for the first time in weeks, I tap my wrists together, letting my armor cover my body, and my weapons appear at my back. I withdraw my sword from its sheath and split it in two, letting one point towards the ground, while the other makes itself comfortable right under Kai's chin. "Hey, I need a practice partner. I know that you have plenty of skill of your own, so would you please humor this newbie?"

He stops sharpening his sword once more, and this time, he looks up at me with a smirk. "Go ahead and name whatever restrictions you like."

He's playing my game, and I like it. "No lethal shots, no special abilities, just a straight up sword fight. You in?" I learned my lesson the last time we fought. Letting him have access to his abilities for a fight is a good way to get into trouble, and letting me use mine is a great way to make the arena unusable for three days.

"Sure." He slips the stone back into a bag sitting behind the bench, then rises to his feet, towering over me by several inches. "But don't cry when you lose."

I grin as I back away from him, measuring my distance from him as we move towards the center of the arena. "Don't underestimate me, though. I've been training with your brother. That, and I think my balance has improved thanks to all of those surfing lessons with Dad."

Kai chuckles, a slight smile on his face. "And let's not forget the monster army that you totaled while you were gone. I'm sure that your Dad would have been impressed with what we found down there."

It may not be the greatest memory of the summer, but the way that Kai puts it makes me feel almost proud of myself. Sure, I got kidnapped by a manticore, but I also took down a Chimera, that same manticore, and drowned more monsters than I cared to count. I survived, and that's what counts. But not only did I survive, I kicked ass. And then Kai, Sam, and Will had to come save my ass, but that's not the point.

Once there's enough, but not too large a distance between us, Kai and I stop moving, staring each other down at the ends of our swords. He watches me carefully. "Ready?"

I nod quickly. "Yeah."

He shifts a little, a frown on his face for just a second. "Since it looks like my big brother is too occupied to teach you today, why don't we make this interesting."

"Interesting, how?" I learned after my first duel with him to be very careful not to get distracted.

"Well..." He taps his foot on the ground, and small pieces of obsidian poke out of the ground, making a twelve foot circle around the two of us. "If you step out of the circle, you lose. It's an exercise in spacial awareness. You have to make sure to keep track of your position on the battlefield at every moment, otherwise you could, say...fall over the edge of a cliff, or back right up into a tree."

I can see where he's going with this, and I nod. "Alright, then. Inside the circle is the safe zone, the fight zone. Everything outside is the lethal zone. It might as well be a sea of acid."

"Exactly." He grins at my comparison. "First one to force a surrender or disarm their opponent wins."

"Alright." I sink lower, right into a fighting stance. "Start?"

He sinks down a little as well, a smirk on his face. "Start."

I'm not entirely sure which one of us is the first to move, but seconds later, it's his sword against the both of mine, locked together in an effective block. I've caught him at an angle that effectively sends the pressure of his weight down my left leg and into the ground, freeing up the right side of my body for movement.

My right arm snaps straight in a lunge, my sword racing forward as I aim to scratch his cheek. It's not a lethal shot, unless he deliberately moves the wrong way, which I know that his instincts won't allow him to do. He shifts his weight to the side, just barely dodging the strike and avoiding having his face bloodied. It does, however, separate a few of those inky black strands from his head. And I can just bring myself to smirk at the result. _Guess I'm getting faster if he couldn't completely dodge that in time._ It's a good boost to my rather fragile ego.

In retaliation, Kai slides his left foot forward, hooking it right behind mine. I can see where he's going with that already, and as he yanks back on my foot, I'm already transferring my weight onto my other foot, spinning away from him as he aims a strike at my side. He gets close enough to lightly scratch my armor, but not cut through it. And when his sword comes flying back for another strike, I catch it with one of mine, returning the gesture with a strike of my own that he catches between the spikes of his bracer. He twists his arm and grabs for the hilt of my sword, tearing it from my grip with his superior strength. And just to make sure that I can't get it back, he flings it outside of the circle of rocks.

I grimace slightly. "Fighting dirty, are we?"

"I prefer to think of it as battle strategy." He smirks at me, his gray eyes flickering with amusement. "Better think fast!" He lunges at me, his sword flying through the air.

And while one of my weapons is gone, that does leave me with the option to wield my remaining weapon with both hands for more power. And I meet his sword halfway, blocking it with enough force to make sparks fly. Unfortunately, the impact still forces me to take a couple of steps back. There's just no way for my body to account for the fact that he's got a fair bit of both weight and height on me. That's just the hand I've been dealt, and I need to learn a way to make up for that.

To think, fighting a thirteen year old is harder than climbing onto the back of a Chimera to cut it's tail off. Sparks continue to fly as Kai presses me back, clearly making use of his size and strength to overwhelm me. Not to mention his speed, which I'm doing my very best to keep up with.

On his next strike, I take a step back and my foot hits something hard. I try to move to the side to keep my balance, but he knocks me over, and I hit the ground hard,the hilt of my sword digging hard into the back of my leg. Only, when I reach for my sword, I pick up a chunk of black rock instead. _Damn it..._

Kai smirks and kneels down over me, his sword passing right by my face and digging into the ground by my hand. "I think this is my win."

I gulp nervously as he hovers over me, then a flush of shame heats my cheeks. "Damn it..."

He chuckles and shakes his head, leaning back on his haunches and rising to his feet. Then, he grabs my arm and pulls me to my feet. "That wasn't too bad, though, you surprised me a few times." He ruffles his hair, finding the place where a little of it is missing. "This was a close one, though. If I'd been a split second slower, I'd have gotten my ear pierced the hard way."

His comment, while a bit nonchalant, paints an interesting picture. "Huh..." I tilt my head slightly, imagining what it would look like if he put a few silver earrings in his ear. "Would that really be so bad?"

He blinks at me, bemused. Then, it dawns on him and he laughs quietly. "Well, I think that using a sword to pierce my ears might make the holes a little too big to be functional. It'd be a lot better to just use a needle."

I snicker a little at the fact that Kai is actually giving that some serious thought. _Maybe next summer, I should give him some earrings. That would be a great gag gift! Wait..._ "When's your birthday?"

He tilts his head slightly and his bangs flutter over his eyes. "December second, why?"

"No reason!" I grin at him, and he rolls his eyes, scoffing. _I'll just let him come to all the wrong conclusions. And in the meantime...maybe they should be a birthday present? I could get Nico to deliver them! But they have to be just right..._

It's time for me to start making mischievous plans.

* * *

With our little sparring session over, I lie back on the grass outside the arena and stare up at the clear blue sky. "So, what are you going to do at the end of the summer?"

"Hm..." Kai sounds a little sleepy as he takes a seat beside me and relaxes into the grass. _Maybe it's the sun._ "Well...I'll probably go back to England for the school year. I've still got high school to go through."

I'm not sure what freaks me out more, the fact that he's apparently done middle school a year early, or the fact that he said he'd be going back to England. "Wait a minute, what do you mean by go back!?"

He chuckles softly. "Right...I forgot that you were unconscious or missing every time that came up." He sighs lightly. "I was born in England, but I've got dual citizenship with the UK and the States. That's how come I spend my summers here."

"Dual citizenship...?" I've heard of that, but I've never actually had a friend with it. "Does...that mean that you could go to school here?"

"I suppose." That's definitely not a resounding no. At least, not yet. "I'd be a year younger than everyone in my grade, maybe two,depending on the level of the classes, but yeah, I could transfer if I wanted to." He says it so casually, like he doesn't do badly in school like most of the other demigods I've met. From what I can tell, for most of the campers, school is a horror story.

I have to ask. "Are you dyslexic?"

Another soft rumble of laughter vibrates through him. "Luckily, no. I know that most of the others here are, but I guess I just got the genetic lottery on that one."

"I know what that's like..." I giggle a bit. "I take French classes at school, and English is no problem. And then, of course, I've been learning some Ancient Greek in my free time here. I can't imagine what it's like for everyone else...having to look at a book, only to see all the letters flying around."

"Yeah, they talk about it like the letters turn into little alien spaceships and try to act like bumper cars." Kai certainly paints a rather interesting mental image. I can almost see tiny cartoon alien spaceships zooming around, trying to knock each other into stardust.

"Yeah..." I'm starting to wonder if there's a school that demigods can go to out in the city. Then again, that might not be the best idea, since I seem to attract a lot of trouble anyway. "But...if you were going to stay over here, do you know where you would go?"

I catch him shrug out of the corner of my eye. "For the most part, I'd probably just work on my shadow travelling so that I could go from here to school. It would probably be better than commuting. And Nico's told me about a few schools that I might be interested in." It seems that I'm not the first one to ask him about this. "But I've still got a couple of weeks before the school year starts to decide." He turns over, and now I can see his eyes. "What about you? Are you going to keep going to school with mortals?"

That's true. All my life, I've gone to normal schools with normal people. Never before have I been faced with a choice like this. "I...think I'll finish up with my middle school before pulling any drastic moves. You know, cause it'll take me some time to get used to all of this, and switching schools this fast just seems a little weird to me." I wish I could explain it better than that, but it's all I've got.

Kai nods. "Yeah, you got pushed into this pretty fast, even by our standards. It's easier to do it the younger you are. At least, that's what the older campers say."

"Yeah..." I can see why that would be. Then, my face heats up again. "I still can't believe that I was landed here by a stupid panic attack..."

Kai laughs again, rather wryly, in fact. "Well, I can't say that I've heard that one before, but it's far from the worst way to end up here. You should hear some of the other stories... Oh yeah!" He sits up straight and pulls a piece of leather out of his pocket. "Nico came back from yesterday's meeting about the summer bead, and he told me to give this to you." He holds out the leather strip to me and drops it into my hand.

I sit up and stretch out the leather cord, and on it is a single bead with a swirl of colors. And on each color is a name. Mine stands out against the green swirl. "What...?" I check the other swirls, and the names of Caiden and his sisters, as well as Eran, and a few other names that I only know in passing. "What's this mean?"

"They're calling it the Legacy bead." He points to each of the names on the bead. "These are the names of all the Greek legacies at the camp. They thought that since this year was the first congregation of them here at camp, that it deserved a commemoration. Especially since this was the first summer camp attended by the oldest of our generation's legacies." He looks pointedly at me, and it clicks.

Caiden and his sisters are younger than me, and so is Eran. "I'm...the oldest of the legacies?"

He nods. "Yeah, so you'd better be here next year to see the new legacies show up. There's going to be more and more of them showing up each year, and it wouldn't do for you to miss it."

I look back down at the bead, and I notice a similar necklace hanging from Kai's neck. But instead of a single bead, there are eight on his necklace. So, I fiddle with the leather cord and tie it around my neck. And it kind of feels like I've just joined a very long tradition. One that I plan on continuing to be a part of.

At least...once the school year is over and I get to come back here again.

I know I'm going to miss this place, but I'll be back here soon enough.

And I'm sure that there will be just as much chaos next year.

Because I'm Ciara Jackson, Legacy of Poseidon, and a proud camper of Camp Half-Blood.


	39. Legacy of Camp Half-Blood - Year 2

**Alright, so since people have been demanding to know when the next installment is going to start popping up, I suppose that I should give the approximate estimation of...sometime in November, maybe in December. Thankfully, a few people have PMed me about it, though I would rather not having people using my other stories comment sections to ask about it.**

 **So, in the interest of not having to delete reviews that go where they don't belong (i.e. asking about when this story is going to be updated on one of my anime projects), I'll leave this note at the end of the story.**

 **And keep in mind that I am currently in the middle of a university semester, so I do have some major papers coming up during this next month, and a couple due at the end of November, so I will have to take time away from my fanfiction to focus on those.**

 **There is also National Novel Writing Month, which is happening during November, and will considerably slow all of my updates. I have to write about 60k words for my current novel project in order to finish writing the sequel to the project that I completed last November.**

 **But, seeing as you all have been so encouraging (well, for the most part), I'll leave you with a few little bits and pieces that I think you might enjoy.**

* * *

1) First of all, in the next installment, the Hunters will be joining us. Thalia and the other Hunters are going to show up at Camp Half-Blood to do some recruiting. Three guesses who Thalia has her eye on.

2) I'll be doing a solid for Aphrodite and making the romantic development in this story as complicated as I can manage. Plus, Ciara is only thirteen at this point, and hardly ready to be picking up her first boyfriend (no matter how precocious middle schoolers insist on being, getting into relationships that they are far from mature enough to handle, hence why so many of them don't last very long). So...I'll be drawing that out and setting a lot of groundwork, because the last thing I want to do is rush them into it. Besides, it's more fun to throw in some bumps and roadblocks, and maybe a rival or two.

3) I'm planning on having the Romans show up, maybe for some inter-camp activities, maybe some war games/capture the flag. This means that Ciara and company will likely be seeing Frank and Hazel (the chaperones), and if anyone would like to weigh in on their kid(s), feel free.

In fact, if anyone would like to weigh in on any of the above points, please do so. And I also encourage people to weigh in on the creation of OC campers (since there's a lot more of them than just the handful running around already). And they can be either Greek or Roman. I have moved the camper attendance sheet to chapter 40 for anyone interested in seeing what I'm looking at expanding. And I highly encourage you to take a look at the page, because I really do want to expand the list.

For any demigods that you want to have me create, just give me a name, age, which cabin they're in, and a general description of their personality, and any particular likes, dislikes, and habits they might have. And preferred weapon or fighting style would be nice as well. Feel free to get creative.


	40. Camper Attendance Sheet

**Author's Note.**

 **Okay, so here is a list that I will be adding to and updating, it's the teen and pre-teen demigods and legacies that came about AFTER the end of the canon story. Basically, the entire next generation. Name suggestions and cabin placements are welcome, that includes last names for demigods that I haven't already decided last names for. Also includes names for the legacies of The Seven. Oh, and any other couples like maybe...Travis and Katie, Conner and Miranda, and Clarisse and Chris.**

 **If anyone wants to suggest a brand new demigod, make sure to give a name, age, gender (if applicable), and godly parent, as well as a vague physical description. Anything missing, I will fill in myself, and use creative license to the best of my ability. Though I will be trying to avoid putting extra people in the "Big Three" cabins (so please resist the urge...), since their kids tend to be...well, OP (as well as a lot rarer to begin with). And there are a ton of other gods and goddesses available with some pretty cool power sets. I'll underline the original cabins that I really want demigod suggestions for (since they're just much bigger cabins and need to be populated), but I do want submissions to the minor cabins as well. Please read down the whole list to see the many choices, and if you see some missing that you really want on the list, please say so.**

 **I am also looking for Roman demigods and legacies (highly encouraged). And if a suggestion for a demigod would fit better in the other camp, I may use creative license to alter a submission. I'm also taking submissions for Hunters (and they can originally be mortals, nature spirits, or demigods).**

 **And I repeat, this list is for the kids, not the adults already found in the books.**

 **And as of October 15th, I am upgrading their ages as appropriate for the next installment. Meaning, by one year.**

 **As of October 20th, two new demigods have been added to the list. I will start making character profiles with them, now that I'll be getting my laptop back from the shop.**

 **As of March 28th, several new demigods have been added to the list, and many have been updated with extra details.**

 **Thank you to the contributors:**

 **percbeth**

 **sweetheartcat5**

 **SilverRose16701**

* * *

 **Official Cabins (meaning the ones I could find on the map.)(L means legacy), ages are included with a dash.**

(1) Zeus (sky and lightning) **:** Will McGrant - 15, Caiden Grace (L) - 12, Haley Grace (L) - 10

(2) Hera (marriage) **:** No children

(3) Poseidon (sea, storms, earthquakes) **:** Ciara Jackson (L) - 13

(4) Demeter (agriculture) **:**

(5) Ares (war) **:** Greg - 16, Pete - 16, Marcus - 16, Grayson - 15

(6) Athena (wisdom, war, arts and crafts) **:** Otis - 13

(7) Apollo (sun, healing, music, poetry) **:** Sam Oak - 13, Carmen Willow - 12, Grace - 12, Hannah - 11

(8) Artemis (moon, hunting, childbirth)/Hunters **:**

(9) Hephaestus (blacksmiths and fire) **:** Eranzo Valdez (L) - 12

(10) Aphrodite (love) **:** Taylor - 14, Chantelle DuBois - 14, Silena Grace (L) - 10

(11) Hermes (messengers, thieves, merchants, travelers, roads) **:** Carter Hall - 14

(12) Dionysus (wine) **:**

(13) Hades (underworld) **:** Kai - 14

(14) Iris (rainbows) **:**

(15) Hypnos (sleep) **:**

(16) Nemesis (justice and revenge) **:** Declan O'Hara - 17, Finn Collins - 16

(17) Nike (victory) **:** Jean Kennedy - 15

(18) Hebe (youth) **:**

(19) Tyche (luck) **:**

(20) Hecate (magic) **:** Galadriel Lokken - 15

* * *

 **Other Cabins (ones that don't actually get mentioned, or maybe not ever built, but I feel should, and this list can be added to as well, since there are plenty of minor gods floating around. I'll add whichever ones seem most likely to actually have any children, and I'll take off any that you guys think wouldn't have children). I'm hoping for a lot of submissions to this list!**

(21) Morpheus (dreams) **:**

(22) Khione (snow) **:**

(23) Phobos (fear) **:**

(24) Deimos (terror) **:**

(25) Eros (love) **:**

(26) Enyo (war and destruction) **:**

(27) Eos (dawn) **:**

(28) Peitha (seduction and persuasion) **:**

(29) Boreas (North Wind) **:**

(30) Eurus (East Wind) **:**

(31) Notus (South Wind) **:**

(32) Zephyros (West Wind) **:**

(33) Aether (light and the atmosphere) **:**

(34) Pheme (fame and gossip) **:**

(35) Eris (strife) **:**

(36) Harmonia (harmony) **:**

(37) Momus (satire, writers, poets) **:**

(38) Zelus (zeal, rivalry, jealousy) **:**

(39) Nyx (night) **:**

* * *

 **Now, on the Roman side. Since they aren't set up in cabins, and most of the teenagers at Camp Jupiter seem to be legacies, I'll just be putting godly parents up, rather than cabins.**

Jupiter (Zeus): Tom - 15

Mars (Ares): Kylie (L) - 16

Apollo:

Vulcan (Hephaestus):

Venus (Aphrodite):

Mercury (Hermes): Jamie Wilcox - 14

Neptune (Poseidon): Max - 15, Kate (L) - 13

Pluto (Hades):

Bacchus (Dionysus):

Ceres (Demeter):

Trivia (Hecate):

Janus:

Bellona:

Victoria (Nike):

Fortuna (Tyche): Sharon (L) - 14

Concordia (Harmonia):

Discordia (Eris):

Cupid (Eros):

Aquilon (Boreas):

* * *

 **Oh, and just for the hell of it, since I do plan on eventually sending Ciara to B.A.G. I'm just going to leave a little section here for the magicians. Each deity refers to their path (not parent). You may leave a suggestion here as well.**

Horus (revenge, pharaohs):

Isis (magic):

Anubis (death, embalming, funerals):

Osiris (underworld):

Set (chaos, evil):

Nephthys (rivers):

Ra (sun):

Geb (earth):

Nut (sky):

Heket (birth, rebirth):

Khonsu (moon): Christina - 14

Mekhit (war):

Onuris (war): Nathan - 14

Neith (hunting, battle, wisdom, weaving):

Nekhbet (vultures):

Sekmet/Hathor (war/love, beauty, music): Nathan - 15

Ptah (craftsmen, creation):

Shu (wind):

Serqet (scorpions):


	41. Character Profile Sheets

**Here is a list of demigods attending Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, and the young magicians at any one of the Nomes. This list will be updated when inspiration strikes. This is also a template so that everyone can see how the basic profiles are set up. I'm still setting up the ones that I do have, so more details will be added later.**

 **If there are any extra categories that you want to see, let me know. I've added personality quirks, as well as their greatest strength/fatal flaws.**

 **Note: For the most part, the legacies will be born in the closest accessible locations to the demigod doctors (for obvious reasons), other circumstances will have some kind of backstory involved. Non-legacies can be from anywhere in the world.**

* * *

Name: Ciara Thalia Zoe Bianca Jackson

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Legacy of Poseidon

Date of Birth: April 10th, 2014

Place of Birth: New Olympia

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Sea green

Abilities: Hydrokinesis, geokinesis (limited)

Particular Ability: Hydrokinetic healing (limited)

Skills: Swordsmanship, archery, equestrian

Likes: Blue food, green food, learning languages, lemonade, sweets

Dislikes: Bullies, bugs

Personality Quirks: Eager and confident (sometimes over-confident), though easily discouraged, losing frustrates her, but pushes her to try harder the next time. Determined and stubborn, she's hard-headed at times, and often reckless in protecting her friends.

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw: Loyalty/Over-protectiveness, a willingness to sacrifice herself and make unwise decisions in order to protect the people she loves.

* * *

Name: Kai

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Hades

Date of Birth: December 2nd, 2013

Place of Birth: London, England

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Silvery gray

Abilities: Geokinesis, necromancy

Particular Ability: Life transferrance

Skills: Swordsmanship

Likes: Singing (where no one can hear *cough* judge *cough* him), basketball (and other sports)

Dislikes: Will McGrant

Personality Quirks: Seemingly anti-social, takes him time to warm up to others, but becomes fiercely protective of the people he cares about. A strong believer in justice and also in mercy for non-malicious parties.

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw: Oaths/Grudges

* * *

Name: Will McGrant

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Zeus

Date of Birth: June 3rd, 2012

Place of Birth: Miami, Florida

Hair Color: Dark brown

Eye Color: Electric blue

Abilities: Aerokinesis,

Skills: Swordsmanship

Likes:

Dislikes: Kai

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw: Pride/Arrogance

* * *

Name: Sam Oak

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Apollo

Date of Birth: June 16th, 2014

Place of Birth:

Hair Color: Blond

Eye Color: Sky blue

Abilities: Healing

Skills: Archery, equestrian

Likes: Riding pegasi

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw: Caution/Uncertainty

* * *

Name: Eranzo "Eran" Jason Valdez

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Legacy of Hephaestus, Calypso

Date of Birth: July 26th, 2015

Place of Birth: New Olympia

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Amber

Abilities: Pyrokinesis

Skills: Metalworking, tinkering

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks: An overeager, borderline pyromaniac

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw: Decisive/Impulsive

* * *

Name: Caiden Grace

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Legacy of Zeus and Aphrodite

Date of Birth: September 13th, 2015

Place of Birth: New Olympia

Hair Color: Light brown

Eye Color: ...you tell me, honestly, he takes after his mother...

Abilities: Aerokinesis, electrokinesis

Skills: Swordsmanship, archery

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Silena Grace

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Legacy of Zeus and Aphrodite

Date of Birth: 2017

Place of Birth: New Olympia

Hair Color: Blond

Eye Color: ...same as her big brother...

Abilities: Charmspeak, electrokinesis (limited

Skills: Swordsmanship with a focus on daggers

Likes: Kissing people

Dislikes: Being told not to kiss people

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Haley Grace

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Legacy of Zeus and Aphrodite

Date of Birth: 2017

Place of Birth: New Olympia

Hair Color: Blond

Eye Color: ...do I really need to say it?

Abilities: Aerokinesis, electrokinesis (limited)

Skills: Swordsmanship with a focus on daggers

Likes:

Dislikes: Being mistaken for her twin sister

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Greg

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Ares

Date of Birth: 2010

Place of Birth:

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Abilities: Weapons and combat mastery

Skills: Swordsmanship, archery

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Pete

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Ares

Date of Birth: 2010

Place of Birth:

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Abilities: Weapons and combat mastery

Skills: Swordsmanship, archery

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Marcus

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Ares

Date of Birth: 2011

Place of Birth:

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Abilities: Weapons and combat mastery

Skills: Swordsmanship, archery

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Otis

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Athena

Date of Birth: 2014

Place of Birth:

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Abilities:

Skills:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Carmen Willow

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Apollo

Date of Birth: 2015

Place of Birth:

Hair Color: Blond

Eye Color: Blue

Abilities:

Skills: Archery

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Declan O'Hara

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Hecate

Date of Birth: 2010

Place of Birth:

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Teal

Abilities:

Skills: Swordsmanship

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw: The will to see justice done, but tendency to take it to the extreme

* * *

Name: Jean Kennedy

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Nike

Date of Birth: 2012

Place of Birth: Glasgow, Scotland

Hair Color: Red

Eye Color: Amber

Abilities:

Skills:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw: Over-competitive

* * *

Name: Finn Collins

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Nemesis

Date of Birth: 2013

Place of Birth: Indianapolis, Indiana

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Abilities:

Skills:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw: The will to see justice done, but tendency to take it to the extreme

* * *

Name: Taylor

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Aphrodite

Date of Birth: 2013

Place of Birth:

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Abilities:

Skills:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw: Vanity

* * *

Name: Chantelle

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Aphrodite

Date of Birth: 2013

Place of Birth:

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Abilities:

Skills:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw: Vanity

* * *

Name: Carter Hall

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Hermes

Date of Birth: 2013

Place of Birth: Boston, Massachussets

Hair Color: Dark Brown

Eye Color: Blue

Abilities:

Skills: Thieving, sneaking, pranking, setting traps without getting caught

Likes: Pulling pranks and being mischievous, telling jokes, sports

Dislikes: Reading long books and sitting still

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Tom

Location: Camp Jupiter

Parent/Path: Jupiter

Date of Birth: 2012

Place of Birth:

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Abilities: Aerokinesis

Skills:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Kylie

Location: Camp Jupiter

Parent/Path: Legacy of Mars

Date of Birth: 2011

Place of Birth: New Rome

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Abilities:

Skills:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Jamie Wilcox

Location: Camp Jupiter

Parent/Path: Mercury

Date of Birth: 2013

Place of Birth:

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Abilities:

Skills:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Max

Location: Camp Jupiter

Parent/Path: Neptune

Date of Birth: 2013

Place of Birth:

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Abilities:

Skills:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Kate

Location: Camp Jupiter

Parent/Path: Legacy of Neptune

Date of Birth: 2014

Place of Birth: New Rome

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Abilities:

Skills:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Sharon

Location: Camp Jupiter

Parent/Path: Legacy of Fortuna

Date of Birth: 2013

Place of Birth: New Rome

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Abilities:

Skills:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Galadriel Lokken

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Hecate

Date of Birth: 2012

Place of Birth: Oslo, Norway

Hair Color: Blond

Eye Color: Blue

Abilities: Magic

Skills:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Nathan

Location: Twenty-First Nome, Brooklyn

Parent/Path: Onuris

Date of Birth: 2013

Place of Birth:

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Abilities:

Skills: Swordsmanship

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Hannah

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Apollo

Date of Birth: 2016

Place of Birth:

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Abilities: Photokinesis (can give light a tangible form)

Skills: Plays violin and piano, dagger work and archery

Likes: Wolves

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks: Short temper, anger management issues, very sarcastic, but otherwise cheerful

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Nathan

Location: 21st Nome, Brooklyn

Parent/Path: Sekmet/Hathor

Date of Birth: 2012

Place of Birth: Orlando, Florida

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Abilities:

Skills:

Likes: Musical instruments

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Christina

Location: 21st Nome, Brooklyn

Parent/Path: Khonsu

Date of Birth: 2014

Place of Birth: Portland, Oregon

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Abilities:

Skills:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks:

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Grace Gilbride

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Apollo

Date of Birth: 2015

Place of Birth:

Hair Color: Brown (short)

Eye Color: Blue

Abilities:

Skills: Archery, music

Likes: Nature

Dislikes:

Personality Quirks: Abrasive, tough, kind

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw:

* * *

Name: Grayson Bomani

Location: Camp Half-Blood

Parent/Path: Ares

Date of Birth: November 5th 2012

Place of Birth: New Orleans

Hair Color: Ebony (curly)

Eye Color: Dark gray-brown

Abilities: Weapons and combat mastery

Skills: Swordsmanship, archery, talent for polearms

Likes: His pet boa constrictor, flute and drum music, rock music, Mardi Gras and other festivals, carving small totems, charms, and amulets

Dislikes: Pointless fighting (but still likes a good challenge), losing at sports

Personality Quirks: American, but of Egyptian descent, he likes to combine his worlds with his newfound Greek heritage by using his own musical talents

Greatest Strength/Fatal Flaw: Motivation/Impatience in the heat of battle


End file.
